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Starlight Yellow Cake
This classic yellow cake is a tender, buttery dessert perfect for any occasion. The simple batter comes together quickly with basic pantry staples like butter, milk, and vanilla. Bake it as a sheet cake for a casual weeknight treat or layer it for a birthday celebration. It bakes up tall and golden brown with a soft, velvety crumb that pairs beautifully with your favorite chocolate or peanut butter frosting.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 eggs
Instructions
- 1Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch baking dish, two 9-inch round pans, or three 8-inch round pans with shortening, then dust lightly with flour.
- 2Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, softened butter, milk, vanilla, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds while scraping down the sides. Increase the speed to high and beat for 3 minutes, scraping occasionally, before pouring the batter into the prepared pans.
- 3Bake the 13x9-inch pan for 35 to 40 minutes, the 9-inch pans for 25 to 30 minutes, or the 8-inch pans for 30 to 35 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the center springs back to a light touch.
- 4Let a 13x9-inch cake cool directly in the pan on a wire rack. For round cakes, cool them in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto wire racks to cool completely for about 1 hour.
- 5Spread your preferred frosting over the 13x9-inch cake, or use it to fill and frost the round layers.
- 6Fold half a cup of dried cherries into the finished batter before baking if you prefer a cherry variation.
- 7Replace the softened butter with an equal amount of peanut butter if you want a peanut butter flavor profile.
- 8Aim for a finished butter cake that is tall, golden brown, and slightly rounded on top for the best moist and tender texture.
- 9Use the following troubleshooting observations to adjust your technique for future baking sessions.
- 10Look for a tall structure, golden color, slightly domed top, and soft, velvety texture to confirm a perfectly baked cake.
- 11Note that an underrisen, pale cake happens when there is excess liquid or fat, insufficient leavening, or a pan that is too large.
- 12Note that an overbaked, sunken cake happens when there is excess leavening, too much liquid, or an overly long baking time.