This is absolutely, hands-down, bar none the easiest, most foolproof
made-from-scratch yellow cake you’ll ever find. It takes only minutes
and has a wonderful flavor and delicate texture no box mix could ever
come close to matching. I found the recipe on the back of a flour bag
decades ago – so long ago that I can’t remember the brand of flour.
It’s
also incredibly versatile. If you’ve eaten a yellow cake I made, it was
undoubtedly this one. I’ve used it for sheetcakes, cupcakes, Mexican
tres leches cakes, Bundt and layer cakes. I’ve added a tablespoon of
lemon peel and 1/3 c. poppy seeds for poppy seed cake. I’ve used it for
homey upside down cakes and fancy petit fours. I’ve filled it, glazed
it, frosted it, dusted it with confectioner’s sugar, and served it
plain with fruit.
And, of course, I used it for Anne and Ben’s wedding cake.
- 2 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 c. unsalted butter, softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1 c. plain yoghurt, whole milk preferred but not essential
- 1 tsp. vanilla
It’s essential that all ingredients be at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease
and flour pan(s). Place all ingredients in the bowl of a mixer. Beat at
lowest speed until ingredients are combined, then beat at medium high
speed for three minutes. Pour into pan(s). Bake until a skewer or
toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
For Bundt cake, bake 60-70 minutes
For 2 9-inch round cake pans, bake 30-35 minutes
For a 9-inch x13-inch rectangular cake pan, bake 45-50 minutes.
For cupcakes, bake 25-30 minutes
This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2010.
