Yellow Layer Cake Recipe
🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
🕒 Cook Time: 45 minutes
🕒 Total Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
🥧 Servings: 24
📏 Yield: 1 12-inch, 2-layer cake
Description:
Indulge in the delightful flavor of this Yellow Layer Cake, crafted with a slightly unconventional mixing technique that guarantees a perfect outcome every time. Pair it with 2 1/2 to 3 batches of my semi-classic buttercream frosting, and you’re in for a treat! Inspired by Rose Beranabum’s “The Cake Bible,” this recipe allows for versatile adaptations such as adding additional layers of frosting or filling the center with your favorite jam.
Ingredients:
- 14 cups milk
- 2 1/3 cups pure vanilla extract
- 5 1/4 cups cake flour
- 7 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 7 7/8 cups unsalted butter
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare two 12-inch x 1 1/2 inch cake pans by greasing them and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease the bottom and flour the entire pan for easy release.
- In a medium bowl, lightly combine the egg yolks, 1/2 cup of milk, and vanilla extract.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients – cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to ensure they are well blended.
- Add the unsalted butter and the remaining milk to the dry ingredients.
- Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 90 seconds to develop the cake’s structure.
- Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then gradually add the egg/milk/vanilla mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition.
- Stop the mixer again, scrape down the sides, and give the batter a final mix by hand to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the surface with a spatula. The pans should be filled halfway.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed in the center.
- Once baked, the cakes should begin to shrink from the sides of the pans. Allow them to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a buttered rack.
- Reinvert the cakes so that their tops are right side up.
- Cool the cakes to room temperature, then wrap them tightly with plastic wrap to keep them moist.
Tips:
- For an extra indulgent experience, consider frosting the cake with my semi-classic buttercream frosting recipe (#14307), preferably in milk chocolate flavor.
- Get creative with the filling by adding layers of frosting or your favorite jam between the cake layers.
- Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature for optimal mixing and texture.
- To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
- Store any leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for longer preservation.
