The Best Yellow Cake ever. A soft and tender vanilla cake, topped with fudgy chocolate frosting and homemade cookie crumbs. It’s the ultimate birthday cake!

Welcome to the wonderful world of yellow cake.

I’ve got an ah-mazing treat for you today. We’re talking about the softest vanilla cake (ever), a seriously fudgy chocolate frosting, and a shower of homemade funfetti cookie crumbs.

If it’s not your birthday, you’ll be really wishing it was because this is the ultimate party cake 🎉

This is, hands down, one of my favourite cakes to make. I LOVE it. For all three wonderful layers, but especially for that cake.

So what is yellow cake?

That’s a great question, and to be honest, growing up in Australia, I had never even heard of yellow cake. It’s not a staple here like it is in America.

But essentially, it’s just a really good vanilla cake. It’s typically made with whole eggs – egg yolks AND egg whites and plenty of butter. My recipe also has sour cream because that simple ingredient takes a regular vanilla cake and makes it the best cake on the planet. You’re welcome.

There’s nothing special about how this cake is made – which means anyone can make it (do it, do it). It starts by creaming the butter, sugar and vanilla. My best tip here is to make sure you give the butter and sugar a really good whipping.

Sometimes I feel tempted to stop once the butter and sugar are combined but if you keep going for another minute or two, you’ll be rewarded. You’ll see the butter mixture change colour. It’ll turn pale and go extra creamy – almost whipped. And this is the foundation for a beautiful yellow cake.

Next we add an egg, yolk and all, which gives the cake it’s signature yellow colour. And then the flour and baking powder, alternating with the milk and sour cream. And you’ll end up with the creamiest looking cake batter – try not to face plant!

What can I use instead of sour cream?

If you can, please make this cake using full fat sour cream for maximum taste and texture. If you can’t find sour cream where you live, opt for a full fat Greek or natural style yogurt. It will work JUST as well.

And then there’s that frosting. Can we chat about this for a second? Now I’m VERY partial to a rich chocolate buttercream that uses real chocolate (see my favourite choc frosting recipe). BUT for this cake, we sort of want to mimic canned or packet frosting but make it taste better right?

So we’re making a cocoa based buttercream but then adding sour cream to it. I know, I know. But trust me on this one. It will give you the most wonderful, fluffy, fudgy, melt-in-your-mouth frosting. And it pairs perfect with this light and tender yellow cake.

So just when you’re thinking this cake can’t get any better, IT DOES. Enter homemade cookie crumbs. These buttery cookies are heaven sent.

They’re little shortbread cookies that you make using only a handful of ingredients. They’re crunchy and sweet and add a lovely textural element to the cake. Plus there’s sprinkles – so you know! #winning

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