This homemade yellow cake recipe will have you feeling like a professional baker. Paired with a delicious milk chocolate buttercream frosting, you can make the perfect layered cake completely from scratch!
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Best Yellow Cake with Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
This classic yellow cake recipe is perfectly moist and flavorful, and the milk chocolate buttercream is so light and fluffy. Together, they make the best homemade cake!
Learn how to make yellow cake with chocolate frosting for a dessert everyone will love. It makes a great birthday cake, but is just as fitting for holidays like Easter or Valentine’s Day.
Why you’ll love this Chocolate Frosted Yellow Cake recipe:
How to make Perfect Yellow Layer Cake
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Preheat oven to 375F and prepare cake pans.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer. Then add in the eggs one at a time.
- Slowly add in the flour and buttermilk, alternating each one. Then stir in the vanilla.
- Pour batter into the 3 pans and bake 20-25 minutes.
- Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. You can make the frosting ahead of time, or make it while the cakes cool.
- To make the buttercream frosting, beat butter in a stand mixer, then add the vanilla and powdered sugar.
- Then add in the melted chocolate, and continue mixing the frosting, scraping it down as you go. Mix until ingredients are fully incorporated and you reach the desired consistency. Add a small amount of milk if it’s too thick.
What makes yellow cake yellow?
Yellow cake mostly gets its color from the use of whole eggs (including the yolks) in the batter. Compared to white cakes, which only use the egg whites.
The yolks also add to the cake’s flavor, which is a creamy, vanilla, almost custard-like taste.
How do you make this cake so moist?
Those egg yolks do a lot of work in this yellow cake recipe. They’re also the secret to making it more moist, instead of dry and crumbly. It’s also important not to over mix or overbake the cake, as that will dry it out.
Does chocolate buttercream frosting need to be refrigerated?
No, buttercream frosting can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container up to 3 days.
How do you store yellow cake with chocolate frosting?
After baking and frosting the cake, store it on a cake plate/stand with a dome/cloche over it. This prevents it from drying out.
It does not need to be refrigerated, and it will hold up better at room temperature up to 5 days.
Tips!
- Grease and flour the cake pans to keep the cake from sticking.
- Alternate adding buttermilk and flour into the mixer. This helps create a batter that will stay moist when baked.
- Don’t overmix, as that will lead to a dry cake. Mix ingredients only as much as necessary.
- To see if it’s done, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean (no batter on the toothpick), then it’s done.
- Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing them.
- When adding the chocolate into the frosting, don’t let it touch the sides of the mixing bowl.
- If the buttercream frosting is too thick, mix in small amounts of milk until it becomes the desired consistency.
- The frosting can be made ahead of time and stored at room temperature up to 3 days.
Everyone will love this delicious yellow cake with milk chocolate buttercream! It’s fluffy, flavorful, and easy enough to make from scratch. Make it for birthdays, or any time you need a good dessert!
More Homemade Cake Recipes we Love
- Lemon Meringue Cake
- Homemade Carrot Cake
- Homemade Funfetti Cake
- Black Magic Chocolate Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- Rainbow Cake
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Best Yellow Cake with Milk Chocolate Buttercream
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 3 8-inch Round Cake Pan
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
For the Yellow Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour 360 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 8 grams
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 grams
- 1 cup unsalted butter 226 grams, room temperature (2 sticks)
- 2 cups granulated sugar 400 grams
- 4 large eggs 200 grams, room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk 227 grams, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
For the Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (4-5 cups)
- 2 cups unsalted butter 452 grams, room temperature (4 sticks)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 8 grams
- 3 cups powdered sugar 339 grams
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips 340 grams, melted and cooled a little
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk 28 grams, only if needed
Instructions
For the Yellow Cake
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour (or spray with baking spray) 3 8-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Stir with a whisk to combine.3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth, light, and fluffy, about 6-8 minutes.1 cup unsalted butter, 2 cups granulated sugar
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until incorporated after each addition.4 large eggs
- With the mixer set to low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (beat just until each addition is incorporated).1 cup buttermilk
- Stir in the vanilla.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Divide the batter, equally, between the three cake pans (about 477 grams per pan) and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean. The cakes should be golden brown, and spring back when lightly pressed in the center.
- Transfer the cakes to a cooling rack for 10 minutes then remove the cakes from the pans. Return the cakes to the cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Milk Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, on low, until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 4 minutes. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed.2 cups unsalted butter
- Add the vanilla and beat for 1 minute.2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Turn the mixer to low and add the sugar. Beat until incorporated, about 2 minutes.3 cups powdered sugar
- Turn off the mixer and add the melted chocolate. Be careful NOT to let the chocolate come into contact with the sides of the bowl or the paddle so it doesn’t seize up. Mix on low speed, scraping down the bowl, until incorporated.2 cups milk chocolate chips
- Turn the mixer to medium speed, add the salt, and mix an additional 4 minutes then scrape down the sides of the bowl again. Mix on low 1 minute or until no butter streaks remain.½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Scrape down the bowl, the beater and the bottom of the bowl and mix the frosting by hand until it is smooth and homogenous.
- If the buttercream is too thick, add the milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, and mix well. The frosting should be the perfect consistency to use at this point.1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk
- Frost the cake, slice, and serve.
Video
Becky’s Tips
- Grease and flour the cake pans to keep the cake from sticking.
- Alternate adding buttermilk and flour into the mixer. This helps create a batter that will stay moist when baked.
- Don’t overmix, as that will lead to a dry cake. Mix ingredients only as much as necessary.
- To see if it’s done, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean (no batter on the toothpick), then it’s done.
- Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing them.
- When adding the chocolate into the frosting, don’t let it touch the sides of the mixing bowl.
- If the buttercream frosting is too thick, mix in small amounts of milk until it becomes the desired consistency.
- The frosting can be made ahead of time and stored at room temperature up to 3 days.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
