Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

A small round cake, chocolate buttercream with rainbow sprinkles, sitting on parchment paper on a pink cake stand

As I mentioned in my previous post, I haven’t touched a cake mix since my college days. Back then, my go-to was always Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting. I’m not sure why I always combined the two, but it became my default, as it is for many Americans.

I still laugh thinking about the first one I ever made for my then-boyfriend’s birthday. It came out looking… well, let’s just say “rustic.” The frosting was unevenly smeared with a butter knife, and I distinctly remember thinking, “This looked way better on the box!” 😂 But hey, it tasted good, and that’s what mattered! I even baked it again for my friend Karina’s birthday and went all out with sprinkles. (Hey girlie!)

A homemade chocolate cake with rainbow sprinkles next to a wrapped present in a white box with a teal ribbon — Karina's Birthday Cake from 2009

In all honesty, I’ve only tried baking a yellow cake from scratch once before, and it was… not great. It tasted nothing like the boxed version—dry, bland, and completely unforgettable — not in a good way. I made it for another friend’s birthday (Hi Kristia!), and after that experience, I swore off homemade yellow cake. But here I am, years later, ready to conquer my fears and try again—with you as my witnesses!

The Yellow Cake Itself

I must tell you, I’m a bit of a history buff when it comes to baking. There’s something so intriguing about learning how the treats we love came to be, and yellow cake is no exception. So, let me share a little slice of its story with you.

Yellow cake might feel like it’s been around forever, but it actually rose to fame thanks to boxed cake mixes in the 1940s. You could say it comes from the Silent Generation. Picture it: families were busier than ever, and boxed cake mixes swooped in to save the day. Suddenly, baking wasn’t just for pros; anyone could whip up a cake that looked impressive with half the effort. (I imagine lots of moms saying, “We’re never going back!”)

But yellow cake didn’t start there. Its roots go back to butter cakes from Europe, where bakers first combined flour, sugar, butter, and eggs into something magical. When the recipe made its way to America, we added our own flair—using egg yolks to give the cake that signature golden color. And yes, that’s where the name “yellow cake” comes from. Creative, right?

Then there’s the classic pairing: yellow cake with chocolate frosting. This duo became the iconic birthday cake flavor, and honestly, I get it. The buttery, fluffy cake balances perfectly with rich, creamy chocolate frosting. (Who doesn’t want a slice of that at their party?)

Yellow cake has stayed popular for decades because it’s simple, nostalgic, and just plain delicious. Whether you make it from scratch or (gasp!) use a box mix, it’s one of those cakes that just feels like a hug in dessert form.

The Recipe I Chose

I decided to use a recipe from John Kanell at Preppy Kitchen. I’ve always been intrigued about his blog, and when I Googled “yellow cake recipe,” his came up first, with an impressive 5 star rating and over 2.9K reviews. (Wouldn't you want to try??)

What drew me in even more was learning that John is a Los Angeles native—where I lived I small part of my life — and his dad’s family is Greek, which made me feel an instant connection. (I'm Greek-Cypriot, so as you understand, I couldn't resist!)

By the way, this post isn’t sponsored—I just wanted to share my honest experience with you (and I hope I succeed this time!!)

So, let's do this!!

Ingredients used for a yellow cake, butter, flour, corn starch, sugar, vanilla, eggs, egg yolks, oil, baking powder, salt — Ingredients for the Yellow Cake

So, here's how it went

For my first attempt, I followed the recipe to the letter. I baked the cake and made the chocolate frosting exactly as John instructed. The cake itself? Delicious! But the frosting was a little too sweet for my taste, and not quite chocolatey enough. (John does mention you can add more chocolate for a richer flavor, but I stuck with the standard version for this trial.)

I shared the cake with a few friends and family members, and the reviews were mostly great—except for my mom. She declared my cake dry. MY CAKE: DRY! Can you believe it? I was mortified. I thought it was great! But once she planted that seed of doubt, I couldn’t ignore it.

So naturally, I had to try again.

The Second Try

This time, I made two key changes:

I weighed the flour. I’ve always been a “measuring cup” kind of baker, but weighing ingredients is supposed to be more accurate. (Thanks for the critique, Mum!)
I baked it for a few minutes less. Slightly underbaking a cake can make a big difference in moisture.

I baked the cake for a friend’s grandmother’s birthday (happy birthday, Grandma!), and the reviews were glowing. My friend said it was a hit, and Grandma even sent me her congratulations on the sponge. Success!

The story behind the caption

The caption is in the Cypriot dialect and says "I will make pastitsio tomorrow" (a traditional pasta dish baked with béchamel sauce). This is what my friend decided to write on the cake, because, you see, this grandma has a schedule of what she cooks every day. So depending on what day her party would be, I had instructions to write a different food on the cake 😂.

a chocolate cake with yellow writing that says "I will make pastitsio tomorrow" in Greek, with a yellow napkin and a dessert spoon and fork — "I will make Pastitsio tomorrow"

Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to visit my friend and get my slice of cake. I tasted the scraps from leveling the cake, though, paired with a bit of frosting, and honestly? It was divine. I didn’t notice much difference from the first try, but the compliments didn't bother me, either. So, yeih!

My Take on the Frosting

Ingredients for chocolate buttercream frosting, powdered sugar, chocolate, cream, melted butter, butter, — Ingredients for Frosting #2

While I enjoyed the cake, I couldn’t get behind the buttercream. It was too sweet for my liking, so for the second round, I decided to tweak the recipe. I cut the butter and sugar in half, swapped the milk for cream, and doubled the chocolate. The result? A rich, luscious chocolate ganache buttercream that paired perfectly with the fluffy yellow cake.

You will find the recipe just below, if you want to try yourself.

Final Thoughts

I’m so glad I gave homemade yellow cake another chance. I forgot how much fun it is to just try new things, instead of baking the same thing over and over again, which I get to do for Frosting Bar.

If you decide to try this recipe, let me know in the comments! And if you have a favorite yellow cake recipe, I’d love to hear about it.

Happy baking! 💛

Enjoy xx

By the way, if you’re curious (or just want a good laugh), I recorded a YouTube video while making my second attempt at this yellow cake and creating my chocolate buttercream frosting. Fair warning: it’s mostly me chatting with the camera about the process—sprinkled with a little humor—as I try to explain what I’m doing. Check it out here, and let me know if you prefer cake-baking chaos over step-by-step precision!

A slice of the yellow cake with the chocolate buttercream frosting

Some of my favorite products

Below you can find links to some of the products I used to make this recipe.

I swear by these PME 6" Pans ! They are non stick, and releasing cakes is a breeze with these!

I always use PAM spray to make sure that not only do I get a nice release of the cake, the cleaning is super easy, too!

My trusty sidekick, the Kitchen Aid Mixer in Ice Blue

This has been there for me for all my frosting adventures

My stainless steel measuring cups from OXO. These are not the exact same ones, but I got mine something like 20 years ago! Therefore, I recommend the brand 100%!