Today’s post is about the Rodney Dangerfield of cakes. Everyone needs a good and basic yellow cake recipe. Yellow cake can be the star of the show or proudly step back and play a supporting role. I have been on the lookout for the best yellow cake recipe for years, and I think that I finally found it. It’s from Pillsbury. I have been going to fancy food websites, and combing through cook books. And duh…..I found it on Pillsbury’s site. Yellow cake is so versatile. It can be a wedding cake, a simple cupcake at a child’s birthday party, a coffee cake, a tea cake, or a short cake. It can be baked in layers, in a loaf pan, in a muffin pan, or in a sheet pan. Short cake is how I used it for the photo today. If you haven’t found the best yellow cake for you yet, then you might want to give this one a try.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2
- cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2
- teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4
- teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3
- cups granulated sugar
- 3/4
- cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2
- teaspoons vanilla
- 3
- eggs
- 1 1/4
- cups milk
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 13x9-inch pan. In medium bowl, stir flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
- In large bowl, beat granulated sugar and 3/4 cup softened butter with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and eggs until well blended. Alternately add flour mixture and 1 1/4 cups milk, beating well and scraping bowl after each addition. Pour batter evenly into pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Here are some extra tips from Pillsbury:
- This is a classic sponge-style cake—its light texture depends on the air you beat into the softened butter and sugar by creaming them together until they’re smooth and fluffy. Measuring the flour accurately is important too. Stir up your flour to aerate it, then lightly spoon it into a measuring cup and level it off with the flat side of a knife. Too much flour will make the batter too heavy and the final cake texture will be dense.
- Don’t overbake the cake. It will be a rich golden brown and the top will spring back when lightly touched with a fingertip. You can also use a toothpick inserted into the center—it should come out clean when the cake is done.
- Cake can be baked in two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans; grease and flour pans. Make as directed above; pour batter evenly between 2 prepared pans. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Assemble, fill and frost cake.
If you are planning on serving a strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, or peach short cake this summer, then you might want to use this recipe. I like to make a birthday cake for America on July 4th. I will use this recipe and add red, and blue food coloring to two layers, and leave one layer plain. The grandchildren will love singing Happy Birthday to America before we dig into the cake.
Thanks so much for stopping in and spending part of your day with us. Have a great weekend.
Take care.
Do you frost this cake of just serve with berries and whipped cream?
Cindi, I do not frost it when serving it as a shortcake with berries. When serving it as cake, I do.