Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

A fluffy three layered yellow cake with chocolate frosting. A classic made from scratch that tastes just like the boxed version made as a kid!

*Bummer!  This giveaway is over.  Subscribe via email to see more fun giveaways and more.*

This wouldn’t be complete without a fun giveaway for you to enter… you can’t cook/bake without cookware and you can’t use cookware unless you can cook…right?  So take a moment to enter our awesome #CookbooksandCalphalon Giveaway below the recipe!

And…

Now if you ask me, “what made you start baking?” I could tell you this, it started well before I began this food blog.  It was when I was young, very young!  I want to say, 12 years old? This may be a bit of a repeat from my first blog entry but I’ll say it again, this time a little more in depth.

Baking to me, was an outlet.  It was calmness, fulfillment, excitement and joy all-in-one that I yearned for in the kitchen.  In general, baking was my therapy.  I would often bake at night when the house I grew up in was quieter and while the rest of my family gathered in the living room to watch movies or the normal chit chat around the coffee table.

I would grab my younger sister, Tiffany, and ask her join me in making a cake from one of the boxed cake mixes found in the pantry.  More often than not, her response was usually a “Yes!” with excitement.  This later turned into a play fight on who’s turn it was to lick the bowl followed by a light bickering about when it was time to frost the cooling 13×9-inch cake.  We were both very impatient and even though I would try to push off frosting the cake just a little bit longer because I knew if done too early it would make it crumble, many times I simply caved.

Baking these cake mixes when I was younger was my therapy.  Many unexpected changes happened in my family when I was a kid so turning to the kitchen just felt right.  Maybe it’s hard for me to explain or maybe I’m already explaining it right but I somehow found extreme fulfillment and joy in baking.  Those times getting into the kitchen, reading the directions on the back of one of the Betty Crocker or Pillsbury boxes with my sister gave me such a positive memorable experience.

It wasn’t until I moved out of the house by age 17, that I later discovered Tiffany doesn’t even like cake!  She stuck by my side to bake, I believe, to share the same joy that I had which truly touches my heart in such a way I can’t even explain.

Many years later while shopping at BJ’s here in Queens, I stumbled across a Betty Crocker book called The Big Book of Cakes.  Immediately, I knew I had to buy it!  And till this day, it has become my number one resource in making many of my cakes you find here on URBAN BAKES.  This book is one I cherish the most.

Recommended Products for this Recipe

URBAN BAKES is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Influencer Program, an influencer/affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn (at no additional cost to you) by linking to https://amazon.com/shop/urbanbakes. Note that links advertised are products and/or services we’ve used, enjoyed, and want to share with you. Thank you for shopping and supporting URBAN BAKES!

Did you enjoy this recipe? Consider rating and commenting below. I love to see your feedback and help answer any questions you may have. And don’t forget to check below for related recipes.

Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

---

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

No reviews

• Author: URBAN BAKES
• Total Time: 3 hours
• Yield: 8-inch cake 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

A fluffy 3 layered yellow cake with the creamiest chocolate frosting. A classic made from scratch that tastes just like the boxed version made as a kid!

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

YELLOW CAKE

• 2 1/4 cups (270 grams) all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 teaspoons (14 grams) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups (300 grams) milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs (150 grams)

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 oz (113 grams) unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) milk
• 4 1/2 cups (518 grams) powdered sugar

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. CAKE: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and lightly flour the bottom and sides of three 8-inch (20 cm) round baking pans; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, mix all CAKE ingredients for about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat batter until just combined. Pour about 1/3 of the batter into each pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 15 to 20 minutes. Place a plate over the pan and invert to release the cake. Allow the cakes to continue to cool to room temperature before wrapping in plastic wrap and chilling in the refrigerator.
5. FROSTING: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low-medium speed, beat butter and chocolate until smooth and evenly blended.  Mix in vanilla and milk.
6. Gradually add powdered sugar 1 cup (115 grams) at a time and beat until completely blended.  Note: for a thicker consistency, add more powdered sugar by 1/2 cup at a time and for a thinner consistency, increase milk by 1/2 tablespoon at a time.
7. ASSEMBLY: Remove cakes from fridge, discard plastic wrapping and set one cake layer onto a cake plate, this will be the bottom layer. Using an angled spatula, spread about 1 cup of frosting on top. Stack another cake layer on top of the frosted bottom layer and repeat frosting the top. Some frosting may spill over the sides, that is okay. Place the last cake layer on top and repeat the same frosting process. 
8. Using a large angled spatula, evenly frost around the sides of the cake and generously apply more frosting on the top. Use the back of a tablespoon to whisk frosting from side to side and in a circular motion to create peaks and waves. This technique can be applied onto the sides of the cake. For straight-edge sides, use a bench scraper to lightly glide along the sides of the cake.  Slice and ENJOY!

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Cake
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: yellow cake, chocolate frosting, made from scratch, classic yellow cake, 3 layered cake, betty crocker cake

Yellow Cake recipe was adapted from (p.15) of Betty Crocker Big Book of Cakes. Chocolate Frosting recipe was adapted from (p.25) of Betty Crocker Big Book of Cakes.

*Bummer!  This giveaway is over.  Subscribe via email to see new giveaways and more.*

Also, now through September 1st, Calphalon is celebrating couples!  From the first meal they create together in their new home to the meal they share on their 25th anniversary, couple cook up memories! The cookware they choose serves as the foundation for which these “Couples Cooking” memories are made.

Calphalon wants to recognize these #CouplesCooking moments by asking couples to share pictures of the meals they cook together for a chance to win $1,000 in Calphalon cookware!

Calphalon is inviting couples to post photos of the meals they prepare with their significant other on Calphalon’s Facebook page. To enter, couples will be asked to share why the dish is unique or special to them and use the hashtag #CouplesCooking. How fun is THAT??

Follow the #CookbooksandCalphalon fun on social media for great recipes, tips and more and good luck in BOTH giveaways!

Cooking:

• Pecan Encrusted Chicken with a Creamy Dijon Sauce – Souffle Bombay
• Tomato Jam – Healthy. Delicious.
• Roasted Salmon with Peanut Sauce – Tiny Farmhouse
• Lemon Basil Chicken Thighs – Mind Over Batter
• Pesto Pasta and Peas with Grilled Shrimp – The Suburban Soapbox
• Homemade Spinach and Cheese Ravioli – Food Lust People Love

Baking:

• Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting – URBAN BAKES
• Cookie Dough Fudge Brownies – Sugar Dish Me
• Plum and Pluot Galette – Fork Vs Spoon
• Simple Apple Crisp – Real: The Kitchen and Beyond
• Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake – The Redhead Baker
• Beirut Tahini Swirls – Pastry Chef Online

Drinks:

• Oat-chata – Healthy Slow Cooking

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LATEST POSTS

• 
  Praline Pumpkin Bread
  by URBAN BAKES
  November 17, 2023
  Get cozy with the warm scent of Praline Pumpkin Bread. Just sweet enough with a perfect tender crumb and an incredibly nutty crunch of pecans and sweet caramel glaze.
• 
  Maple Brown Sugar Blondies
  by URBAN BAKES
  November 7, 2023
  Before these chewy maple brown sugar blondies have finished baking, its rich buttery goodness and immense maple aroma will have you desperately crave a bite!
• 
  Bourbon Caramel Apple Crisp
  by URBAN BAKES
  September 11, 2023
  Take a bite into this delightful mix of sweet and tart tender apples beneath an oat crisp that’s baked to perfection. Serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream and as much of this amazing homemade bourbon caramel sauce your heart desires.
• 
  Maple Pecan Double Chocolate Banana Bread
  by URBAN BAKES
  September 5, 2023
  Soft and luscious Chocolate Banana Bread sweetened with pure maple is studded with toasted pecans throughout. For any chocolate banana lover, this is the perfect sweet escape.