Easy Yellow Cake with Buttercream Frosting

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Homemade Yellow Cake Recipe — This is the easiest yellow cake from scratch and it tastes like a million bucks! This yellow cake recipe always turns out supremely moist, springy, soft and fluffy cake thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. Who needs the bakery?

Homemade Yellow Cake Recipe — This is the easiest yellow cake from scratch and it tastes like a million bucks! This yellow cake recipe always turns out supremely moist, springy, soft and fluffy cake thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. Who needs the bakery?

The BEST Yellow Cake Recipe

This easy yellow cake recipe is a whisk-together batter that’s adapted my favorite buttermilk cake base that I’ve used for so many cakes including my Blueberry Muffin and Buttermilk Pancakes CakeCaramelized Banana Upside-Down Cake, and many more.

I love this homemade yellow cake recipe because the base is a cinch to make, and the cake always turn out supremely moist, springy, soft and fluffy thanks to the buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. Any moist yellow cake recipe should include those three ingredients — you can’t go wrong with them! That trifecta of moisturizing and tenderizing ingredients makes it impossible to have a dry cake.

I frosted this homemade yellow cake with white and then pink buttercream in honor of all the springtime holidays and events coming up like Easter, Mother’s Day, bridal and baby showers. I used McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract in both the easy yellow cake and the buttercream, and McCormick Red Food Coloring to softly tint the buttercream.

This cake is small enough that you don’t have to worry that you’ll be eating cake for days and days, not that that would be a huge problem! Between the soft, fluffy cake and the sweet, rich buttercream it’ll disappear very quickly. And because this is such an easy yellow cake recipe, you will be making it time and time again!

Homemade Yellow Cake Recipe — This is the easiest yellow cake from scratch and it tastes like a million bucks! This yellow cake recipe always turns out supremely moist, springy, soft and fluffy cake thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. Who needs the bakery?

Classic Yellow Cake Ingredients 

To make the homemade yellow cake itself, you’ll need:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Baking powder 
  • Salt 
  • Egg
  • Buttermilk 
  • Sour cream
  • Canola oil
  • McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract

And to make the homemade buttercream frosting, you’ll need:

  • Unsalted butter
  • McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
  • Salt
  • Confectioners’ sugar
  • McCormick Red Food Coloring

How to Make Yellow Cake From Scratch

To make this homemade yellow cake, you simply need to whisk together the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, then combine the two. The ingredients for this yellow cake are mostly pantry staples, so you shouldn’t have to run out to the store before whipping up this cake recipe!

Once you’ve whisked together the cake batter, pour it into a greased 8-by-8-inch pan and bake until done. You’ll know the cake is ready to come out of the oven when the center is set and it springs back when you press it gently with your finger (you can also stick a toothpick in the center to see if it comes out clean).

While the cake is cooling, prep the homemade vanilla buttercream frosting. To make the buttercream frosting, combine room temperature butter, McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt. You’ll need to let the mixture whip up for a few minutes, or until the buttercream is light and fluffy.

Once the cake is completely cool, spread half the vanilla buttercream on top. Stir red food coloring into the reserved buttercream and then carefully spread the final layer on top.

So easy, right? This is a great cake recipe to make with kids since it’s so straightforward. 

Homemade Yellow Cake Recipe — This is the easiest yellow cake from scratch and it tastes like a million bucks! This yellow cake recipe always turns out supremely moist, springy, soft and fluffy cake thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. Who needs the bakery?

Can I Make This Recipe as Cupcakes Instead? 

If you’d rather make yellow cupcakes instead, I recommend following my recipe for Classic Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream. I know for sure that recipe works! 

Can I Double This Recipe? 

I personally haven’t doubled this moist yellow cake recipe, but I bet you could. You’d need to bake it in a 9×13-inch pan in that case. 

Can I Freeze Homemade Yellow Cake? 

I’m sure you can! You’d likely need to freeze it unfrosted, though. To thaw, set the cake out on the counter to come to room temperature and whip up a fresh batch of buttercream while it warms up. 

Homemade Yellow Cake Recipe — This is the easiest yellow cake from scratch and it tastes like a million bucks! This yellow cake recipe always turns out supremely moist, springy, soft and fluffy cake thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. Who needs the bakery?

Tips for the Best Yellow Cake with Buttercream Frosting

If you don’t have sour cream on hand, plain Greek yogurt can be used in this moist yellow cake recipe instead. Just make sure it’s Greek yogurt and not regular yogurt — the thicker yogurt better mimics sour cream! 

I don’t recommend using a buttermilk substitute in this cake recipe, though. You want the real thing here, if possible. Buttermilk adds so much moisture to this yellow cake recipe, and since this cake is so simple it’s best to use all the right ingredients. 

I also wanted to note that it’s so important that you wait to frost the cake until it’s completely cool. If you frost the cake while it’s warm, the frosting will run everywhere and you won’t see two distinct layers of vanilla buttercream frosting. 

But speaking of the buttercream frosting, you don’t have to color the top layer pink if you don’t want to! You can keep the frosting white or make it a different color to suit the occasion. If you’re making this cake with kids, you might want to let them add sprinkles to the top of the cake! It’s an easy way for them to get involved with the baking process. 

Homemade Yellow Cake Recipe — This is the easiest yellow cake from scratch and it tastes like a million bucks! This yellow cake recipe always turns out supremely moist, springy, soft and fluffy cake thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. Who needs the bakery?

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4.45 from 208 votes

Easy Yellow Cake with Buttercream Frosting

By Averie Sunshine
This is the easiest homemade yellow cake! It's a supremely moist and fluffy cake thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and oil. Who needs the bakery?
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 9
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Ingredients  

Cake

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • cup sour cream, lite is okay (plain Greek yogurt may be substituted)
  • 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract

Buttercream Frosting

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoons McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
  • pinch salt, optional and to taste (helps offset the sweetness)
  • 1 ½ to 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, I use 2 cups
  • 2 to 4 + drops McCormick Red Food Coloring, or as necessary to achieve desired color

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.

Make the Cake

  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, optional salt; set aside.
  • In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, sour cream, oil, and vanilla.
  • Add the wet mixture to the dry, mixing lightly with a spoon or folding with a spatula until just combined. Small lumps will be present, don’t overmix or try to stir them smooth.
  • Turn batter out into prepared pan and bake for about 29 to 32 minutes, or until center is set and not jiggly, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
  • Place pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool. After cake has cool completely, make the buttercream.

Make the Buttercream Frosting

  • To a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and handheld electric mixer), add the butter, vanilla, optional salt, confectioners’ sugar, and beat on low speed for about 1 minute so you don’t spray sugar everywhere. After sugar has incorporated some, increase to medium-high speed and continue to beat until very smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Turn all but 1/3 cup frosting out onto cake and spread evenly with a spatula or offset knife to create an even, smooth flat layer of white frosting; set cake aside.
  • To the remaining 1/3 cup frosting in the mixing bowl, I added 2 drops red food coloring, beat momentarily to incorporate, and added the pink frosting on top of the white to create a two-toned layer of frosting. However, for ease you can tint all of the frosting pink. 

Notes

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 435kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 228mg, Sugar: 54g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Post is brought to you by McCormick. The recipe, text, images, and opinions expressed are my own.

Originally posted March 18, 2015 and reposted with updated text April 15, 2022.

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. Hi Averie! I’m a fellow food blogger and long-time fan of your site ?
    I tried this cake tonight and fell in love… so moist and tender! My family wants me to make a cake for a big event (where I’ll have to make a half sheet cake), so do you think I could quadruple the recipe and have it turn out?

    1. Hi Amanda, I know who you are and I pin your stuff often, love it! :)

      While I haven’t tried to double/triple/quad this recipe, I think you’d be fine in doing so. But…since I haven’t tried it personally AND that it’s for a big event, I just am cautiously saying ‘you’d be fine’ since I don’t have personal experience. If you try it, LMK how it goes!

  2. Just made this cake. I used a 9×9 high sided pan and made 1 1/2 times the recipe. It turned out PERFECTLY. I baked it for 36 minutes. This cake is absolutely lovely and very easy to out together. Thanks for sharing it?

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Good to know that you made a 1.5x of the recipe and baked in a 9×9 and it was great!

  3. I made this (doubled so I could layer 2 round cakes) for my little’s birthday last month and it was so easy and yummy that I have made it for two more functions in the last month! Thanks for a great (and not dry!) cake recipe!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Three times! And yes, I hate dry cakes and this one definitely isn’t dry :)

  4. Can you use regular sugar?  What would be the difference between the powdered sugar and granulated sugar?

    1. You’re not going to get a good result with the frosting if you don’t use confectioners’ sugar.

  5. This cake is absolutely wonderful! My 10 year old wanted to make a from scratch cake by herself. She choose this one (because of the cute frosting). With minimal assistance (mostly with the folding technique at the end) she did it by herself. Had to wait till morning to try it. I was a little nervous because we use a 9″ pan, and at 25 minutes, the toothpick came out with minimal crumbs. But we frosted it, and had a bite this morning and OH MY GOD!!! So moist, sweet totally yummy! She did a great job and I’m so proud of her! This cake is totally delish, and I’m sure we will have to make another because I really don’t see it lasting very long. Would be great at a layer cake with fresh strawberries in the middle… MMMMMMMMM….

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! And so impressive your daughter made this by herself!

  6. Would you recommend this for cupcakes (and how many do you think it’d make)? Or should I try your Classic Yellow Cupcakes recipe? :) I’m intrigued by the buttermilk and sour cream, sounds like the cake is super moist and delicious! 

    1. I haven’t tried this recipe as cupcakes so can’t say for sure how many it will make. I think it would make great cupcakes but again, haven’t personally tried. The yellow cupcake recipe that I have made are the classic yellow ones that you referred to. Your call what you feel like making. Enjoy!

    2. Hi, i have 11″ pan i need to use for my kids party. Do i need to double the recipe? How long shouls i bake?

      1. 11 by what? It would depend on the other dimension.

        And then from there you could either double the recipe or not…but I can’t give advice because I have only made it as written.

      2. I would simply buy an 8×8-inch pan. They are about 5 bucks at most grocery stores. That way you can just make as written.

  7. Made this cake for a friend’s birthday – came out great! So, so moist and light! YUM! I doubled the batter and used two 9″ round pans. I also used coconut oil, which added a nice subtle flavor.  Thanks for the recipe! Will definitely make it again! 

  8. Made this cake and frosting for my sons birthday this weekend, I used blue dye instead of pink. It was a delicious moist yellow cake. Easy and enough for the 3 of us to enjoy. We pretty much ate the whole cake in one day, it’s that good!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you as a birthday cake! Glad it was almost gone in a day and that you loved it!

    1. Probably would be fine, but haven’t personally tried it so cannot speak with absolute certainty.

  9. For those of you wondering, you can definitely make this in a 9 inch round pan. It has nearly the exact same surface area (63.58)  as an 8×8 pan (64), so you shouldn’t have to change anything. 

  10. These are really pretty and yummy looking. I know a little girl that loves things like this and so I was looking for a simple recipe to follow. Thanks for sharing.

  11. Hi, this cake looks delicious, thanks for sharing! May I ask, can this cake be used for stacking into a three tier cake? Thanks in advance!

    1. Havent tried it that way so can’t say for sure exactly what ratios to use, doubling, pan size, etc. It’s possible for sure – you’ll just have to experiment a bit.

  12. Cant wait to bake this pretty one this coming Friday! BTW, I made your oatmeal chocohip cookies, very good and chewy! :) I tell myself and friends that it is a healthy cookie because it’s made of oatmeal. Umm lets just forget about the chocolate :) 

    1. Thanks for trying the oatmeal cookie recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Hope you enjoy the cake!

  13. Made the cake yesterday, my daughter made the frosting (she went with light pink/fluorescent pink). Fantastic flavor. Best yellow cake ever. We had to add a bit of milk to frosting to make it more spreadable. Yum and thanks!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad it was the best yellow cake ever for you!!

  14. Absolutely delicious. I made it tonight and left the frosting white, but added sprinkles on top for pops of spring color. Sooo yummy and simple – this is my new go-to cake recipe! Incredibly moist, delicate, and a great balance between the icing and cake. Thanks, Averie!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out so wonderfully for you! There’s a recipe in this post I linked, a Funfetti cake, sounds like you made your cake Funfetti-esque on the top at least :) Love that you’re so happy and that this is your new go-to cake recipe !! Thanks for the wonderful compliments!