Yellow Cake, otherwise known as Vanilla Cake. If you are going to be a baker, you NEED a basic yellow cake recipe in your arsenal. This recipe, I will admit, has been the most labor intensive and frustrating to perfect. It has been YEARS in the making. I do try to make all of my cakes from scratch, but for years this one eluded me. I would try a recipe, not be happy, and go back to making the Pillsbury Moist Supreme Yellow Cake. You know which one I’m talking about in this picture…. Hats off to them, it is a great cake mix. It has everything you want a cake or cupcake to be….light, moist, tasty, rises well, and frosts well. Try as I repeatedly tried, I could not copy the recipe. I searched far and wide on the internet, trying so many bloggers’ recipes, but in the end, combined a number of them to get this recipe. Again, I pride myself in the fact that if a baked good comes out of my kitchen, it will be from scratch.
Here we go! First, as always a few special notes about some of the ingredients:
Cake Flour is used in this recipe. As you know, cake flour has corn starch added to it. This will help create a nice tender texture to your cake or cupcakes.
Vanilla pudding. If you’ve ever read the Pillsbury box, they state that “as always, there is pudding in the mix.” This will also add moisture to the cake, and some great extra vanilla flavor. We are only using the powder “mix,” and not actually making pudding to put in the recipe. Be sure to only use ½ of the box, the cake will be sticky if you use the entire box.
Pure Vanilla Extract. While I do use the clear imitation vanilla extract in some frosting recipes where I don’t want the extra color, it is very important to use Pure Vanilla Extract in this recipe to get the full flavor.
Oil instead of butter. You will repeatedly see in my recipes that I use oil and not butter. That is just my preference. I find that oil makes a much more moist cake, and I do not like the texture that butter creates in cakes. That being said, the butter extract is very important in this recipe to get that wonderful butter taste in this cake.
Finally, Buttermilk. This will give the cake a nice body and great texture. To make a homemade buttermilk, as I often do, mix 1 Tbsp Vinegar and enough milk to make 1 Cup. Let sit for 5 minutes, and it will be ready to go.
Room temperature ingredients. Remember to get all of your refrigerated ingredients to room temperature prior to mixing to ensure they mix well and evenly! So important!
Let’s get started!
Instructions:
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Also, get those cake pans or cupcake liners in place. I like to not only grease and flour my pans, but I also cut a piece of parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan so that the cake releases well.
Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pudding mix. Set this aside for later. Remember when you are measuring your flour to spoon it into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife. You never want to pack the flour down in the measuring cup, as this will lead to a much more dense cake.
In your stand mixer or hand held mixer for the next part. With the whisk attachment, cream the eggs and sugar on MEDIUM for two minutes.
Add the oil, vanilla extract and butter extract and mix on MEDIUM for one minute to combine.
Next, alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk into the mixer, always starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
Fill cupcake liners ONLY ⅔ full. This recipe must make 24 cupcakes, or you have filled some of your cups too full! Bake at 350 until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I typically start checking my cupcakes at 15 minutes and my cakes at 35 minutes. Cook times will vary based on your oven and how full you fill your cupcake liners or cake pans.
Allow cakes or cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes prior to removing them from the pan. Cool completely prior to frosting.
And finally, ENJOY!
Here we go! First, as always a few special notes about some of the ingredients:
Cake Flour is used in this recipe. As you know, cake flour has corn starch added to it. This will help create a nice tender texture to your cake or cupcakes.
Vanilla pudding. If you’ve ever read the Pillsbury box, they state that “as always, there is pudding in the mix.” This will also add moisture to the cake, and some great extra vanilla flavor. We are only using the powder “mix,” and not actually making pudding to put in the recipe. Be sure to only use ½ of the box, the cake will be sticky if you use the entire box.
Pure Vanilla Extract. While I do use the clear imitation vanilla extract in some frosting recipes where I don’t want the extra color, it is very important to use Pure Vanilla Extract in this recipe to get the full flavor.
Oil instead of butter. You will repeatedly see in my recipes that I use oil and not butter. That is just my preference. I find that oil makes a much more moist cake, and I do not like the texture that butter creates in cakes. That being said, the butter extract is very important in this recipe to get that wonderful butter taste in this cake.
Finally, Buttermilk. This will give the cake a nice body and great texture. To make a homemade buttermilk, as I often do, mix 1 Tbsp Vinegar and enough milk to make 1 Cup. Let sit for 5 minutes, and it will be ready to go.
Room temperature ingredients. Remember to get all of your refrigerated ingredients to room temperature prior to mixing to ensure they mix well and evenly! So important!
Let’s get started!
Instructions:
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Also, get those cake pans or cupcake liners in place. I like to not only grease and flour my pans, but I also cut a piece of parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan so that the cake releases well.
Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pudding mix. Set this aside for later. Remember when you are measuring your flour to spoon it into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife. You never want to pack the flour down in the measuring cup, as this will lead to a much more dense cake.
In your stand mixer or hand held mixer for the next part. With the whisk attachment, cream the eggs and sugar on MEDIUM for two minutes.
Add the oil, vanilla extract and butter extract and mix on MEDIUM for one minute to combine.
Next, alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk into the mixer, always starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix!
Fill cupcake liners ONLY ⅔ full. This recipe must make 24 cupcakes, or you have filled some of your cups too full! Bake at 350 until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I typically start checking my cupcakes at 15 minutes and my cakes at 35 minutes. Cook times will vary based on your oven and how full you fill your cupcake liners or cake pans.
Allow cakes or cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes prior to removing them from the pan. Cool completely prior to frosting.
And finally, ENJOY!
Supplies used in creating these cupcakes and cakes include: 
Measuring spoons, Measuring cups, Bowl set, Stand Mixer, Spatula set, Cake pans, Cake Boards, Cupcake pans, Cupcake liners, Ice Cream scooper, Parchment paper, Cooling racks, Frosting Bags, Tips, Ties and Caps, Cake leveler, Turntable, and Cupcake storage. Click here to be taken to my Amazon Cake and Cupcake Baking Supply List. For page transparency: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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