Yellow Birthday Cake
Yellow Birthday Cake is soft, fluffy, and buttery with a rich vanilla flavor. It has nostalgic old-fastioned taste and layered with a homemade chocolate buttercream frosting and rainbow sprinkles for fun! This classic cake is perfect for all occasions and will be loved by everyone!
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
Yellow Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup salted butter softened at room temperature
- 2 whole large eggs at room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream at room temperature
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter softened at room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-5 tablespoons buttermilk
Instructions
To make the cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 2 8-inch round baking pans, line the bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper to form a circle to fit the bottoms. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light, fluffy, and pale for a few minutes.
- Add in the vanilla and sour cream, mix until fully combined, smooth and mixture is creamy. Add in the whole eggs and egg yolks one at a time until incorporated.
- Rotate between adding the buttermilk and flour mixture in 3 increments. Make sure the cake batter is combined, but do not over-mix.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean and the tops are a light golden brown. Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes. Carefully run a butter knife along the edge of the cake pan and carefully flip it over on a cooling rack to cool for another 10-15 minutes or until cooled completely.
To make the frosting
- In a separate bowl, beat together the softened butter with an electric mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy. Mix on low speed and gradually increase the speed when adding the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add in the cocoa powder, vanilla and buttermilk and continue to beat on high speed until creamy and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin, and more buttermilk if frosting is too thick.
To frost the cake
- Place one layer of the cake on the bottom of a cake stand or cake plate. Spread a thick layer of frosting to cover the top, then place the second layer on top. Spread frosting all over the top and sides of the cake with an offset spatula. Make the frosting smooth or make swirls with a spoon. Decorate with rainbow sprinkles (optional) and enjoy!