need the perfect yellow cake recipe?

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A great Yellow Cake Recipe is something every self-respecting baker has in her repertoire . It’s as American as Apple Pie only more versatile!

Every kid loves Yellow Cake with the classic Chocolate Frosting. But there is so much more to this nostalgic favorite. Throw in some lemon zest and fresh ginger and you’ve elevated a family picnic favorite to a sophisticated dessert companion. Add some white chocolate and raspberries to the equation and you’ll be on everyone’s ‘must invite’ list.

It’s perfect as a simple coffee cake, drizzled with lemon syrup or whipped into a batch of elegant little flower topped cupcakes and stacked high as a Wedding centerpiece. With this great basic recipe and a few simple additions you’ll never be short on ideas for amazing cakes that are the talk of the town.

ingredients for a perfect yellow cake recipe

yields one 9” round cake (3 layers) or 24 cupcakes

2 sticks butter (8 ounces)
2 cups sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

NOTE: All amounts are given in U.S. standard measures. Click here for international equivalents (page will open in a new browser window) .

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare 2 x 9” round cake pans by spraying with non-stick cooking spray and lining bottom of each pan with a wax paper circle cut to fit.

using an electric mixer beat butter and sugar at high speed until lighter in color and fluffy.
add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition
sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt on to a piece of parchment or wax paper.
mix the milk and vanilla together.
add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients alternately to the batter, ending with the dry ingredients.
pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes (20-25 minutes for cupcakes), until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
cool the cakes in their pans for about 15 minutes then turn out of the pans on to a wire rack to cool completely.

let's take this yellow cake recipe up a notch...

Warning: Once you try these variations, you may find yourself making any old excuse to bake!

Coconut Cream Cake

There’s an exotic twist here with the surprise addition of coconut milk.

Add to the basic recipe :

replace the milk with coconut milk
add ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut

add the coconut milk exactly as you would regular milk in the recipe
fold in the shredded coconut by hand right before pouring the batter into the pans.

Lemon Ginger Tea Cake

This is my favorite of all the variations of this recipe. It’s just the perfect compliment to the beautiful texture of this Yellow Cake Recipe.

Add to the basic recipe :

2 tablespoons of lemon zest (2-3 large lemons)
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger or 1 tablespoon of ground ginger

add the zest, juice abd ginger after beating the butter and sugar.

Perfect Lemon Cake

It really doesn’t get any better than this simple lemon cake. Perfect with a cup of tea!

Add to the basic recipe :

zest of 2-3 large lemons (2 tablespoons zest)
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

add the zest and juice after beating the butter and sugar

White Chocolate Raspberry Gingerbread Cake

This is fabulous with Gingernut Crunch Filling

Add to the basic recipe :

¾ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

add the fresh ginger after beating the butter and sugar.
sift the ground ginger with the dry ingredients.
fold the chocolate chips and raspberries in by hand right before pouring batter into the pans.

perfect cake presentation the easy way

So you've got your perfect yellow cake recipe, right? Now for the perfect presentation. Try one of these beautiful bundt pans for a stellar cake presentation the easy way!

Just bake, dust with powdered sugar and you're good to go. Easy!

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