Forget the boxed version you grew up with. This yellow cake gets a rich dark-chocolate frosting with a touch of tang thanks to sour cream. For the best presentation, it's important to cut the cake layers evenly.
Ingredients
Makes 12 to 16 servings
Cake:
Frosting and assembly:
Special Equipment
For cake:
Step 1
Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°F. Coat cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment-paper rounds; coat paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until no lumps remain. Combine buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
Step 2
Combine sugar, butter, and brown sugar in another large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Using an electric mixer, beat butter mixture until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add yolks and eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl.
Step 3
Continue to beat mixture, occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl, until almost doubled in volume and very light, airy, and pale yellow, 5-6 minutes. It's very important that no lumps remain at this stage. (Occasional scraping of the bowl, especially the bottom, helps prevent lumps.)
Step 4
With mixer on low, add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
Step 5
Divide batter evenly among prepared pans, about 3 1/2 cups per pan. Smooth tops.
Step 6
Bake, rotating cakes from left to right and top to bottom halfway through, until cakes are light golden brown, the centers spring back when gently pressed, and a tester inserted into the centers comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35-40 minutes.
Step 7
蛋糕转移到线架;让酷的锅at least 30 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks, peel off parchment, and let cool completely.
Step 8
Using a long serrated knife, remove top dome and any bumps from each cake to create a flat surface. Slice each cake in half horizontally to make 6 layers total. DO AHEAD:Cakes can be baked 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
For frosting and assembly:
Step 9
Stir chocolate and corn syrup in a large metal bowl set over a large saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth; remove from heat. Stir sour cream, salt, and vanilla in a medium metal bowl; set over same saucepan of simmering water. Stir until mixture is warm but not hot, about 2 minutes. Add sour cream mixture to chocolate mixture; stir until smooth and glossy. Set aside.
Step 10
Using an electric mixer, beat powdered sugar and butter in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Slowly beat in chocolate mixture. Continue beating until no lumps remain, about 2 minutes. Frosting should be smooth and shiny. Cover and chill until slightly firmed up, about 30 minutes.
Step 11
Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or large plate. Spoon 1/3 cup frosting over; using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, smooth frosting to edge of cake, creating an even layer. Place another cake layer on top. Repeat with frosting and remaining cake layers. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. DO AHEAD:Cake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with a cake dome and store at room temperature.
How would you rate Yellow Layer Cake with Chocolate-Sour Cream Frosting?
Leave a Review
Reviews (27)
Back to TopFollowed the recipe as written. Took an hour to get the cake into the oven. It baked beautifully and came out of the pans without trouble. Frosting was a whole new method for me, but went well and tasted tangy, not overly sweet. (I used high-quality, bittersweet chocolate as I prefer ganache-type, not overly sweet "frostings" for cakes.) It took more like two hours in the fridge to get frosting to spreadable consistency. By the time the finished cake went into the fridge, it was 5 1/2 hours from start. Cake was beautiful but not that tasty. Nice crumb, Definitely can serve 20. Made this for my adult son's birthday--he's a baker. He said, "It's amazing how much better a homemade cake tastes than a box cake. I love the tang in the frosting," but he ate one piece and didn't want to take any home. I will not make this again--too many pans and too much effort--but I could see making the cake (cut in half and make a two-pan 8" cake cut to four layers) and using pastry cream and fruity fillings inside with Bavarian cream outside; and I can see making the frosting (1/2 batch) for vanilla cupcakes. Overall, this was not worth the effort in my opinion. If you want ginormous, this could be for you!
S. Carter
Phoenix, AZ
10/10/2021
This cake was a big hit at my church potluck. Very moist, frosting was delicious. Because I made the cake, I knew the frosting contained sour cream which was a bit off-putting, but all who consumed the cake thought the frosting was outstanding.
gahiii
San Diego, CA
2/26/2019
I tried this at 5300 ft. with the usual high altitude adjustments, but that wasn't enough. It rose quickly and fell (luckily there was a lot of frosting). Next time I'd not only add flour, but also probably replace some of the cake flour with AP. There just wasn't enough structure. That said, it tastes great. The vanilla bean is well worth it (use the pod in ice cream!). The frosting takes 45-60 minutes in the fridge to get to the right consistency, but it's really good. Resist the temptation to put more sugar in there.
andrea_d_b
Aurora, CO
7/2/2018
I have made this cake many times and each time I receive multiple compliments!! The recipe is foolproof, at least it has been for me. The chocolate frosting works well too. This is now my go to for layer cakes! By the way, for the vanilla bean, I've used vanilla bean paste as well as the actual vanilla bean. Both are good, but the vanilla bean is best. Thank you Epicurious Chefs!
ArizonaBorn58
Columbus, GA
12/9/2017
Love this cake!
donica2
Arlington, Tx
11/24/2017
I made this for my son's birthday because he wanted something homemade looking and being a chef my cakes normally come out more finished and professional looking. I ended up adding more powdered sugar to it so that it would work. Flavor wise it was good, but not great.
lionmonkey
Boynton Beach, FL
9/2/2017
I Love This Cake!!! This is My Go To Recipe for Yellow Cake! I Have Added Coconut, Pineapple, Lime Gelatin ect and It Is Great!!!
joshuacatering22
ATLANTA,GA
1/12/2017
I should have stuck with my tried and true yellow cake recipe from my Sky High recipe book but I like to dabble so I thought I'd give this a go. What a mistake! This cake was a colossal failure. The cake took much longer to cook than the estimated time listed in the recipe so I kept having to check it every 5 minutes until it was done. Worse, the frosting is so runny, the layers are slipping apart so I need to use chopsticks to hold the cake together... so embarrassing since this was for a friend's birthday. Now I think I'll run to the grocery store and pick up a store bought cake just for presentation sake. What a pain.
Anonymous
San Diego, Ca
11/20/2016
大蛋糕和多功能butterfl——我做了它y-shaped pan, which fit 2/3 of the batter and baked the rest in the recommended 9 inch circle pan. I had to add extra time for the larger pan, but the circle pan cake was good in 40 minutes. Both cakes were moist and flavorful. I have made the sour cream frosting, but this time I paired it with a traditional vanilla/almond extract buttercream. It was perfect for the birthday party I was hosting.
Anonymous
Baltimore, MD
4/4/2016
Excellent!!!
donica2
DFW, Texas
11/27/2015
oops, forgot to give it the requisite forks...
mendy
8/17/2015
I didn't make the frosting but the cake itself is delicious. Wonderful crumb, light and moist. And the bonus - it isn't hard to make :)
mendy
8/17/2015
I made this cake this afternoon, for my niece's birthday, with modifications. I used lemon curd between the layers and chocolate ganache for frosting. I like the way the cakes held up when I cut the tops off for filling and frosting. Can't wait to dig in!
mkenny3
Kansas City
5/10/2015
I've made this cake several times now. I like it as it is but I find I don't use all the frosting it makes. I do notice that it seems to be moister a couple of days after it's made. If I need to, I bake the layers, cover the top with a paper towel, wrap in plastic wrap and then a plastic bag and freeze. It works just fine and I can't tell a difference between fresh and frozen. Its only downside is that the finished product is too tall for my glass cake cover.
Ntimid8r
Charleston, SC
3/28/2015
Interesting how the salt taste varies from person to person. I will taste as I go along. I will make cake ahead and freeze for easier slicing. I will use 1/2 bittersweet and 1/2 semisweet chocolate chips with a teaspoon of instant espresso coffee. I also like the idea of putting a layer of grape jam in as a surprise.
Erzsebeth
Towson, Maryland
12/23/2014
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