Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting (2024)

This classic yellow cake with chocolate fudge frosting is a tender and buttery cake that’s covered with a rich, creamy chocolate fudge frosting.

A homemade yellow cake with chocolate icing is one of those classic family favorites. Maybe you remember back to a time when your mom would have one of these cakes ready and on the counter when you came home from school.

Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting (1)

This cake is a scratch cake, but it’s actually very easy to make. It’s one of those cakes you’ll turn to when you want a winner dessert every time. And the fudge frosting is the best chocolate frosting you’ll ever taste.

Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting (2)

Hey there! Before you scroll, there’s lot’s of important stuff in the post!…including the FAQ section, which may answer any questions you might have about this recipe. Enjoy!

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Ingredient Notes:
How to Make this Cake:
Supplies Used:
Video:
Recipe:
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It just doesn’t get much better than an old-fashioned yellow cake with chocolate frosting, especially when you add sprinkles on top.

Kids and adults alike will love this cake. It’s really one of the best yellow cakes I’ve tasted. It’s got hints of vanilla and lots of chocolate flavor in the buttercream in addition to the rich yellow and buttery cake. It’s just the perfect birthday cake.

This cake is a traditional yellow cake and it calls for extra egg yolks which makes it rich and helps to give it that yellow cake look. It’s also a butter cake but still manages to stay very moist.

Ingredient Notes:

Let’s talk about some of the ingredients that are in this moist yellow cake with chocolate frosting

Cake flour: This cake recipe does use cake flour. Theoretically, you can use all-purpose flour with a few changes. You can go to this link to get some common substitutions:

I really like using the cake flour though because it really makes a difference in the cake texture…it just makes it very delicate and soft, so if you can get it, use cake flour for this one.

Buttermilk: Buttermilk gives this cake a wonderfully soft texture plus a bit of flavor. Don’t worry though, the cake will not taste like buttermilk.

I always encourage people to use real buttermilk as it really does make a difference, but if you can’t get it, make sure to check out the FAQ section of this post further down for a substitution. It won’t be the same, but it will work in a pinch.

Unsalted Butter and Oil: This recipe calls for both. The butter gives a lot of flavor to the cake and the oil adds amps up the moisture. Unsalted butter is best here so that the cake doesn’t become too salty.

Eggs and extra egg yolks: Eggs give structure to cakes and adding extra egg yolks is what makes this cake rich and a classic yellow cake.

Unsalted butter, cocoa powder, confectioner’s sugar and more: These will be the ingredients to make the fudge frosting. It does call for quite a bit of cocoa powder, but that’s what makes it a rich and cream chocolaty frosting.

How to Make this Cake:

Let’s talk about how to make a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. (The prinable instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Step 1:

First, you want to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and make sure to grease and flour two, 8-inch round cake pans.

Step 2:

In one bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well, then in another bowl, add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix that well.

Step 3:

Now take a large mixing bowl and cream the butter and sugar together really well until light and fluffy. Then add the whole eggs in one at a time, mixing between additions, and add the egg yolks in and mix again.

Step 4:

Now alternately add in the dry and liquid ingredients beginning and ending with the dry. Try only to mix until the ingredients are just combined.

After everything is mixed, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again only for about 10 seconds at that point.

Step 5:

Pour the batter into the two prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 35 minutes.

Step 6:

Cool the cake layers, still in the pans, on a rack for about 10 minutes, then turn out and let them cool completely before adding the frosting.

Step 7:

To make the frosting, you’ll melt the butter and cocoa over low-medium heat. Then add the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add three cups of confectioners sugar plus about ¼ cup of milk and the salt and mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined.

Add the last three cups of confectioners sugar plus the rest of the milk and vanilla and mix on medium. Adjust the consistency by adding in more milk if needed.

Tips & FAQs:

What flavor is a yellow cake?

Yellow cake has a hint of vanilla plus a nice buttery taste and it’s much richer than just a plain white or vanilla cake because of the added egg yolks.

What makes a yellow cake taste good?

In my opinion, the extra egg yolks, butter and buttermilk really make this yellow cake stand out.

Why is it called a yellow cake?

Yellow cake is actually more yellow in color than your average vanilla cake and that’s because there’s added butter and extra egg yolks.

I don’t have cake flour, can I substitute it?

Cake flour is best as it will make for a really soft cake, but if you can’t get it, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour, but you must make some changes.

To use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour use this substitute: For every 1 cup of cake flour that the recipe calls for, use 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons of it and replace with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
You do not want to substitute all-purpose flour, cup-for-cup, with cake flour. The cake may turn out dry if you do.

Tip for measuring the cake flour:

Make sure not to pack the cake flour down into the measuring cup when you’re measuring. Take a spoon and use that to add the flour to the measuring cup, then level off the top. If you scoop the flour with your measuring cup, it will pack the flour down into the cup and end up adding too much, which will make the cake dry.

Can I substitute the buttermilk?

It’s really best if you can use real buttermilk as it makes for a softer texture and really helps give the cake flavor. If you can’t get it, you can substitute with this sour milk recipe:
For every one cup of buttermilk called for, fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of regular milk, take out 1 tablespoon and replace it with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar and stir well. Let sit for five minutes, then it’s ready to use.
This will not work exactly the same as buttermilk but can work in a pinch.

Can I use margarine instead of butter?

No, it’s really best to use real butter for both the cake and the frosting.

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter?

Unsalted is always best because you can estimate the proper amount of salt that will be added plus salted butter has a different water content than unsalted. However, if you’re unable to get unsalted butter, you can use salted in the cake and the buttercream, but omit the additional salt that each recipe calls for.

What do I do with the leftover egg whites?

You can cover and refrigerate them to make meringue, an egg white omelet or any other recipe that calls for them.

Cake batter mixing tip:

Be super careful not to mix the batter too long. Scratch cakes should not be mixed for minutes at a time, or they will become dense. You can stop mixing once the ingredients are well incorporated.

How can I tell when this cake is done baking?

This cake is done baking when a toothpick inserted into the center of each layer comes out with a few moist crumbs on it or clean, but no raw batter.

Does the frosting recipe really call for 2 cups of cocoa powder?

Yes it does and it really makes a difference, so try not to skimp on the amount. If you want a true chocolate fudge frosting, add the full amount.

What type of cocoa powder should I use?

Use regular natural unsweetened cocoa powder.

My frosting is very thick. What can I do?

This frosting has a tendency to thicken up if not used right away. If that happens, you can just add a bit more milk (only about a tablespoon at a time) and mix until the desired consistency is reached.
You can also microwave it on 50% power for a few seconds at a time, but you don’t want it too warm when spreading it onto the cake.

Can this cake be frozen?

This cake can be made ahead of time and frozen if desired. Let the baked cake cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and foil and place in the freezer for up to a month.
To thaw, place the wrapped cake on the counter at room temperature and let thaw completely, then remove the wrapping. Once defrosted, add the glaze.

Supplies Used:

Two, 8-inch round cake pans
Stand mixer or an electric hand mixer
Mixing bowls
Whisks
Silicone spatulas
Colling rack
Icing spatula

UPDATE: I’ve recently updated this recipe and completely revamped the fudge frosting. It now comes out deliciously fudgy and has the right consistency every single time. I hope you enjoy!

Video:

Please note that the recipe in the video for the frosting has been changed and updated to work better. Make sure to go by the recipe in the recipe card for more consistent results.

Note About Recipe Measurements: I write recipes using volume (cups) measurements because here in the U.S., this is what people are more familiar with and I don’t want anyone to feel intimidated when baking. For metric/weight measurements, click the ‘metric’ button under the ingredients in the recipe card below. The weights are converted by a program, not me, and it’s just a best guess. I can’t guarantee that weighing the ingredients will produce the exact same results, since I test recipes using volume measurements.

Recipe:

Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

This classic yellow cake with chocolate fudge frosting is a tender and buttery cake that's covered with a rich, creamy chocolate fudge frosting.

4.60 from 15 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: yellow cake with fudge frosting

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 785kcal

Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream

Ingredients

For the Cake:

2 ½ cups cake flour (see FAQ section in post for substitute)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk, see FAQ section)
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¾ cup sugar
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks only

For the Fudge Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder ( (I used Hershey's cocoa powder)
6 cups confectioner's sugar
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup milk (may need up to 1-2 more tablespoons)

US Customary – Metric

Have questions?Check out the Tips & FAQ section or the video in the post!

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour two 8" round cake pans.
In a bowl, add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk and set aside.
In another bowl, add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Whisk well and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer set on medium-high for several minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the whole eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium just until combined after each addition.
Next add in the egg yolks and mix on medium just until combined.
Now alternate adding in the dry and liquid mixtures.( Add in a third of the dry mixture and mix on medium just until combined. Add in half of the liquid mixture and mix on medium just until combined. Add in another third of the dry mixture and mix on medium just until combined. Add in the other half of the liquid and mix on medium just until combined, then finally the last third of the flour mixture and mix only until combined.)
Be very careful not to mix too long after each addition or this will make your cake very dense. Only mix until the ingredients are incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again on medium just for about 10 seconds or until everything is well combined. Be really careful not to over-mix the batter.
Pour into two greased and floured 8" round pans and spread evenly.
Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.
Test for doneness with a toothpick. There should be some light crumbs on the toothpick, but nothing liquid. Be careful not to overbake this cake or it could come out dry. The tootphick does not have to come out clean. It should have some moist crumbs on it, but no raw batter.
Cool cake layers in their pans, on a cooling rack, for about 15 minutes. Then turn out of the pans and directly onto the racks and cool completely before adding the fudge frosting.

For the Fudge Frosting:

In a saucepan, melt the butter and cocoa over low-medium heat. The mixture will be thick. Keep stirring until all is melted, smooth and creamy.
Add the butter and cocoa mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Add three cups confectioners sugar plus about ¼ cup of milk and the salt and mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. It will be thick.
Add the last three cups of confectioners sugar plus the rest of the milk and vanilla and mix on medium until well combined.
Check the consistency. If too thick, add in another tablespoon or two of milk at a time and mix well until desired consistency is reached. If too thin, add another cup of confectioners sugar and mix until smooth.
Spread onto cooled cake or pipe onto cupcakes.

Notes

UPDATE: I’ve recently updated this recipe and completely revamped the fudge frosting. It now comes out deliciously fudgy and has the right consistency every single time. I hope you enjoy!

This cake can be stored, covered well, at room temperature for about a day, then can be covered well and stored in the refrigerator for another 4 days or so. To serve, let the cake come to room temperature.

Nutritional values are an estimate.
Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which may answer questions you may have about substitutions and making this cake into cupcakes or a 13×9 inch pan.

*This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition

Some recipes have difficulty levels.Check out what they mean here: Difficulty Levels Explained

Baking at higher elevation?Adjustments will need to be made for that. This website does not specialize in higher elevation baking. Please take time to do your research on what adjustments should be made.

DisclaimersTo see food safety, allergy & nutrition disclaimers, go here: Disclaimers

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Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting (2024)

Ingredient Notes:

How to Make this Cake:

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

Step 6:

Step 7:

Tips & FAQs:

Supplies Used:

Video:

Recipe:

Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Ingredients

For the Cake:

For the Fudge Frosting:

Instructions

For the Cake:

For the Fudge Frosting:

Notes

Nutrition

How to Share

Other Posts You Might Like:

References