Fluffy yellow cake paired with my grandma's classic chocolate fudge frosting make this the perfect birthday cake or any other celebration for that matter.
Who doesn't love cake - from spice cake to Guinness chocolate cake to a chocolate chip loaf cake. There are just so many options out there.
But there really isn't much better than a classic yellow cake made with chocolate frosting. Whether the cake is from a box or homemade, it doesn't really matter. It also just so happened to be the cake that my mom or grandma would make for me every birthday.
And to this day, I still have it for my birthday with my wife now making it. Truth be told, a boxed cake mix is pretty hard to beat and it is what I grew up with.
However, where is the fun in that? I wanted to come up with a homemade vanilla cake that was that moist and fluffy texture you expect from a box.
The past few years, Lauren and I had been messing around with the recipe with some notable fails until we finally found a winner.
Be warned however, once you've made this yellow cake with chocolate frosting, you won't ever go back to a boxed mix again.
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Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - best flour for this yellow cake recipe.
- Baking powder - creates the rise in the cake.
- Salt - enhances the flavor.
- Granulated sugar - adds sweetness.
- Unsalted butter - adds flavor and texture.
- Canola oil - can also use vegetable oil.
- Eggs - binds everything together.
- Greek yogurt - creates moisture.
- Vanilla extract - enhances the flavor.
- Buttermilk - gives you that moistness you want in yellow cake.
- Walnuts - adds crunch and flavor.
- Whole milk - thins out the fudge frosting.
- Karo light corn syrup - reacts to create that fudge consistency.
- Unsweetened chocolate squares - the chocolate flavor for the frosting.
How to Make Yellow Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare two 9″ round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and then butter the pans. Toss a tablespoon of flour in the pans and turn to coat the entire pan, tossing the extra flour out. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar, butter and oil until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until mixed. Add the Greek yogurt and vanilla and beat until combined. You can also use a hand mixer to do this.
4. With a spatula and hand-mixing, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk and ending with the flour until just combined. Do not over-mix.
5. Divide the batter between the two cake pans.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are set and no longer wiggly. Inserting a toothpick should come out mostly clean with some moist crumbs, but no wet batter. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes and then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Invert on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
7. Combine sugar, milk, 2 tablespoon butter, Karo light corn syrup, salt and chocolate in a pot.
8. Place over medium heat, until it comes to a boil. Boil for 6 minutes.
9. Remove pot from heat and drop in stick of butter. Let the butter melt and do not stir until fudge cools, about 1 hour.
10. Add vanilla extract once fudge is cool.
11. Beat with wooden spoon until it is thick and creamy, about 5-10 minutes.
12. Frost the cake with chocolate fudge frosting and decorate if desired. I like to cover the sides with some toasted walnuts or pecans.
Yellow Cake vs. White Cake
White cake uses mostly or only egg whites while yellow cake uses whole eggs which gives it a yellow hint.
Also yellow cake is made with all-purpose flour where white cake is usually made with cake flour.
You can't go wrong with either, but I'm partial to the more custardy flavor of yellow cake.
The Chocolate Fudge Frosting is Runny
If the chocolate fudge frosting is runny, you either haven't let it cool long enough or you haven't mixed it long enough with a wooden spoon.
It takes some time to get it thick and creamy. If after 10 minutes of mixing and it still isn't thick, throw back on the stovetop and heat for 5 minutes before beating again.
How Long Does Cake Last?
To maximize the shelf life of the yellow cake with chocolate frosting, place it in a covered airtight container or cover with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
- Cake at room temperature will last 1-2 days
- Cake in the fridge will last 1 week
- Cake in the freezer will last 4 months
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Do not skip the buttermilk as it helps create the moistness you expect from yellow cake with chocolate frosting. If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own. Use whole milk mixed with ¼ teaspoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice instead of buttermilk. Fill a measuring cup with the lemon juice/vinegar then the rest with whole milk to reach ¼ cup + 2 tbsp.
- If you don’t have Greek yogurt, you can either replace with sour cream.
- All refrigerated items should be at room temperature, which helps the batter mix easily and evenly.
- You may not realize this but baking powder actually expires pretty quickly. Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. If you use older baking powder, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the cake. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
- You know cake is done when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to completely cool before adding the frosting, otherwise it will melt.
Other Dessert Recipes
- Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Boston Cream Pie
- Pumpkin Lava Cake
- Peppermint Yule Log
- Smith Island Cake
If you’ve tried this yellow cake with chocolate frosting or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
Yellow Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 stick)
- ½ cup canola oil
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 cup toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 ⅓ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 teaspoon Karo light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 oz unsweetened chocolate squares
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Yellow Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare two 9" round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and then butter the pans. Toss a tablespoon of flour in the pans and turn to coat the entire pan, tossing the extra flour out. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar, butter and oil until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until mixed. Add the Greek yogurt and vanilla and beat until combined. You can also use a hand mixer to do this.
- With a spatula and hand-mixing, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk and ending with the flour until just combined. Do not over-mix.
- Divide the batter between the two cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are set and no longer wiggly. Inserting a toothpick should come out mostly clean with some moist crumbs, but no wet batter. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes and then run a knife around the edges of the pan. Invert on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost the cake with chocolate fudge frosting and decorate if desired. I like to cover the sides with some toasted walnuts or pecans.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- Combine sugar, milk, 2 tablespoon butter, Karo light corn syrup, salt and chocolate in a pot. Place over medium heat, until it comes to a boil. Boil for 6 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and drop in stick of butter. Let the butter melt and do not stir until fudge cools, about 1 hour.
- Add vanilla extract once fudge is cool and beat with wooden spoon until it is thick and creamy, about 5-10 minutes.
Notes
- Do not skip the buttermilk as it helps create the moistness you expect from yellow cake with chocolate frosting. If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own. Use whole milk mixed with ¼ teaspoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice instead of buttermilk. Fill a measuring cup with the lemon juice/vinegar then the rest with whole milk to reach ¼ cup + 2 tbsp.
- If you don’t have Greek yogurt, you can either replace with sour cream.
- All refrigerated items should be at room temperature, which helps the batter mix easily and evenly.
- You may not realize this but baking powder actually expires pretty quickly. Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. If you use older baking powder, it won’t be powerful enough to help leaven the cake. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
- You know cake is done when you insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to completely cool before adding the frosting, otherwise it will melt.
Chris says
Love this cake!