Your favorite yellow cake / vanilla cake recipe

[Anonymous]

Looking for a classic and foolproof recipe to use for a sheet cake or birthday cake. There are so many online - which is your favorite? Basic vanilla flavor, sturdy enough to hold up a hefty layer of buttercream frosting, but tender and moist.

[Anonymous]

Do you want yellow cake or white cake?

[Anonymous]

I don’t have recipe handy but America Test Kitchen recipes seem solid

[Anonymous]

This one is easy and good. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17481/simple-white-cake/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you want yellow cake or white cake?

OP here, I usually have a slight preference for yellow but I would take recommendations for either .

[Anonymous]

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/yellow-sheet-cake-chocolate-fudge-frosting/#tasty-recipes-70413

[Anonymous]

Smitten Kitchen has a great recipe. https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/best-birthday-cake/

[Anonymous]

The Sally’s baking addiction one posted up thread is excellent. I use it a lot for birthday cakes.

[Anonymous]

Yuck who wants to eat "yellow" cake? Do you mean a Genoise sponge?

[Anonymous]

https://betweencarpools.com/9-x-13-life-amaretto-cake/ (there is no amaretto in this version of the cake)

[Anonymous]

Mark Bittman's in "How to Cook Everything." Make sure you use cake flour---makes a big difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yuck who wants to eat "yellow" cake? Do you mean a Genoise sponge?

No, probably not. The classic American birthday cake is not a sponge -- it's a butter cake (start with creaming sugar and butter, cake gets at least some of the leavening from baking power or soda rather than just from eggs). See this description of the different types of cakes common in the US:
https://www.southernliving.com/food/desserts/cakes/chiffon-cake-vs-sponge-cake
"Yellow" cake is typically used in America to refer to a butter cake that is made with the yolks of the egg, and not chocolate. A "white" cake typically won't have the yolks in it. And a chocolate cake, of course, has chocolate. I won't get into red velvet, since I refuse to recognize it.

And the answer to your first question is -- lots of people, including me. A really well made "yellow" cake is one of the best home-baked items, and is lovely when complemented with a nice fudgy frosting, or a fruit base (like pineapple upside-down, or filled with jam and fruits).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yuck who wants to eat "yellow" cake? Do you mean a Genoise sponge?

No, probably not. The classic American birthday cake is not a sponge -- it's a butter cake (start with creaming sugar and butter, cake gets at least some of the leavening from baking power or soda rather than just from eggs). See this description of the different types of cakes common in the US:
https://www.southernliving.com/food/desserts/cakes/chiffon-cake-vs-sponge-cake
"Yellow" cake is typically used in America to refer to a butter cake that is made with the yolks of the egg, and not chocolate. A "white" cake typically won't have the yolks in it. And a chocolate cake, of course, has chocolate. I won't get into red velvet, since I refuse to recognize it.

And the answer to your first question is -- lots of people, including me. A really well made "yellow" cake is one of the best home-baked items, and is lovely when complemented with a nice fudgy frosting, or a fruit base (like pineapple upside-down, or filled with jam and fruits).

This a very nice, informative reply to a ridiculous comment. I commend you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mark Bittman's in "How to Cook Everything." Make sure you use cake flour---makes a big difference.

I hate the taste of cake flour, personally, but what I think work’s great is to sub 90% AP flour and 10% potato starch by weight. This is in The Cake Bible but idk if that’s where it originated.

Yellow cake is pretty uncomplicated, OP, so I actually think the flour is going to be the most important choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yuck who wants to eat "yellow" cake? Do you mean a Genoise sponge?

Everyone.