Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

This straightforward yellow bitter cream cake is wealthy and golden with a decadent layer of creamy do-it-yourself chocolate frosting. We’ll use yellow cake combine for the final word anytime dessert that’s prepared in underneath an hour.

A slice of frosted sour cream cake on a white plate next to a fork and a cup of coffee.

The Greatest Yellow Cake With Chocolate Frosting!

As we speak we’re making the Clint Eastwood of desserts. It’s an actual traditional. It’s really my grandma’s recipe, and I’m certain she wasn’t the one one to make a variation of an uber-retro bitter cream cake as soon as upon a time. 

This EASY bitter cream cake is semi-homemade. It begins with a boxed cake combine (I did say it was retro!), however in any other case it’s completely do-it-yourself, proper right down to the creamy chocolate frosting. I’m all for a conventional “from scratch” however there’s one thing majorly nostalgic a couple of field cake combine recipe. 

Grandma’s bitter cream cake will ceaselessly be certainly one of my household’s favourite, best-ever desserts. The crumb is insanely moist, and filled with taste, with a touch of tang because of the bitter cream. 

A fork cuts into the corner of a slice of frosted sour cream cake on a white plate.

Why You’ll Love This Bitter Cream Cake

This straightforward dessert recipe has stood the take a look at of time. Listed here are just some the reason why we love this frosted yellow cake cake:

  • Comprised of cake combine. This bitter cream cake takes a shortcut with a yellow cake combine. The addition of bitter cream and an additional egg offers the crumb a barely denser, completely mushy texture.
  • Tremendous straightforward. Combine all of your elements in a single bowl, then bake. If there was an official cake to make on weekends, that is it. (My grandmother additionally had a Sunday Chocolate Sheet Cake. I think about this the Saturday model!). 
  • Coated in frosting. I imply, certain, you would get pleasure from this cake with out frosting. However it’s also possible to have it smothered nook to nook with wealthy, creamy, mouthwatering chocolate frosting, too.
The ingredients for sour cream cake with chocolate frosting.

What You’ll Want

You solely want 5 elements to make this scrumptious household heirloom of a cake! I’m going over them beneath, however bear in mind to confer with the recipe card for the complete particulars and quantities:

  • Yellow Cake Combine: You’ll want a 15 oz field of yellow cake combine. Select your most popular model from the shop.
  • Eggs: 4 giant eggs deliver richness and construction to this frosted cake.
  • Bitter Cream: As talked about, bitter cream brings a great deal of moisture to this cake. 
  • Oil: Vegetable oil is one other key ingredient for ultra-moist, gentle, and tender cake. Since oil stays liquid at room temperature, desserts with oil keep a lot softer than desserts made with butter.
  • Sugar: Common granulated sugar is finest. 
  • Vanilla: I extremely advocate actual vanilla extract over imitation vanilla. The flavour is simply waaay higher.

For the Chocolate Frosting

  • Butter: Ensure that to take the butter out of the fridge forward of time, in order that it involves room temperature.
  • Cocoa Powder: You need to use any kind of cocoa powder you’d like. I like to recommend Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder (or Hershey’s Particular Darkish for those who desire a darker colour and fudgier taste).
  • Powdered Sugar 
  • Vanilla
  • Evaporated Milk: Also referred to as unsweetened condensed milk. Emphasis on unsweetened! The sweetened type will make your frosting far too candy.

What Does Bitter Cream Do In a Cake?

The query you have to be asking is: why not add this secret weapon to your desserts? When you’ve by no means baked with bitter cream earlier than, put together to be amazed by how scrumptious this cake is! The high-fat content material in bitter cream is the important thing to an ultra-moist, epically mushy cake. I exploit bitter cream in the whole lot from this bitter cream pound cake to my bitter cream chocolate cake. 

When you don’t have bitter cream helpful, you may make this cake with Greek yogurt as an alternative. Another choice is buttermilk, which you may make at house in a pinch (see Learn how to Make Buttermilk). The flavour and texture will probably be a bit completely different.

Learn how to Make Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Whereas the oven preheats to 350°F, get a 9×13 pan greased up with cooking spray. Right here’s how straightforward it’s to make this moist bitter cream cake: 

  • Mix the Substances: Add your entire cake elements into the bowl of a stand mixer. When you don’t have a stand mixer, use a hand mixer or perhaps a whisk. Beat the whole lot collectively till the batter is simply mixed.
  • Bake: Switch the batter to your greased baking pan. Bake the cake at 350ºF for 25-Half-hour, then depart it to chill fully earlier than frosting.

Making the Chocolate Frosting

I exploit a scaled-back recipe of my best-ever Chocolate Frosting to frost the completed cake. The key to this chocolate frosting is evaporated milk. It makes the frosting SO creamy. Right here’s the right way to make it:

  • Put together the Frosting: First, beat the butter till it’s good and mushy, then combine within the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lastly the evaporated milk. Combine the elements collectively on low to begin, then give the frosting a great whip at medium pace till it’s easy and creamy.
  • Frost the Cake: Utilizing an offset spatula or a knife, unfold the frosting throughout high of the cooled cake.

Can I Make This In One other Dimension Pan?

I virtually all the time bake this in a 9×13 pan, like a sheet cake. Usually, once I’m taking shortcuts and utilizing boxed cake combine, I’m additionally after a easy cake to embellish. That being mentioned, you may completely bake this cake recipe in two 8-inch spherical pans for a layer cake for those who’d like.

Creamy chocolate frosting spread over a sour cream cake in a baking pan.

Suggestions for Success

This cake recipe is virtually assured to return out nice. Nonetheless, preserve the following pointers in thoughts when baking do-it-yourself desserts:

  • Don’t over-mix the batter. That is rule numero uno for gentle, moist, and fluffy desserts! Overly mixing your cake batter (even when utilizing cake combine) can result in a dense, powerful cake. Be aware to solely combine the elements till they’re simply mixed.
  • Strive to not over-bake the cake. The second purpose why desserts come out dry is over-baking. Examine your bitter cream cake because it nears the top of its baking time to make sure it doesn’t come out dense and crumbly.
  • Learn how to examine that your cake is finished: Use the toothpick take a look at. Stick a toothpick into the middle of the cake, if it comes out clear, the cake is able to come out of the oven.
A slice of sour cream cake lifted from the rest of the cake in a baking pan.

Frosting and Recipe Variations

The fantastic thing about such a easy cake recipe is that you could positively jazz it up as you see match! There are many methods that you could adapt this cake for various events. Listed here are some variations to strive:

  • Completely different Frosting: This cake can be equally scrumptious topped with just about any kind of frosting. Strive my chocolate cream cheese frosting or this heritage frosting.
  • Birthday Cake: It truthfully doesn’t take a lot to have this bitter cream cake prepared for a celebration. Cowl it with rainbow sprinkles, or frost it with traditional buttercream frosting or this festive social gathering frosting.
  • Coconut: Stir shredded coconut into the cake batter, or sprinkle it over high of the frosted cake.
  • Lemon: Add a spoonful of lemon zest and swap out the vanilla extract within the cake with lemon extract for a citrusy twist. Orange or lime would even be scrumptious!
  • Toppings: Garnish the cake with contemporary fruit, shaved chocolate, and crushed cookies, or high it with a swirl of whipped cream. 
Overhead view of two slices of sour cream cake served on plates, next to the remaining cake in a baking pan.

Methods to Serve This Yellow Cake

Serve this cake as is, or add garnishes relying on the season and event. We love this cake topped with contemporary berries within the summertime or drizzled with scorching fudge sauce or caramel sauce every other time. A slice of bitter cream cake is simply as scrumptious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as it’s paired with a scorching cup of espresso. Plus, for those who wanted an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast, this cake is it.

Sour cream cake in a baking pan with corner slices missing.

Storage Directions

Retailer your baked and cooled cake hermetic at room temperature for as much as 3 days, or within the fridge for five days.

Can I Freeze Bitter Cream Cake?

Sure! This cake freezes nicely, both frosted or unfrosted, so you may retailer it hermetic both entire or in slices, and preserve it frozen for as much as 3 months. You can too wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap, with a layer of foil to protect in opposition to freezer burn. Defrost your cake within the fridge earlier than serving.

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Description

This straightforward bitter cream cake is made with creamy chocolate frosting is my household’s favourite dessert recipe. Comprised of yellow cake combine, this cake is chocolatey, moist, and dangerously scrumptious!


Cake

  • 1 (15.25- ounce) yellow cake combine
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup bitter cream
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Frosting

  • 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk

Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray and put aside.
  2. Within the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine all of the cake elements collectively on low pace for 30 seconds. Flip the pace as much as medium and blend for two minutes, scraping the edges as mandatory.
  3. Pour the batter into the ready pan and bake for 25-Half-hour, or till a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out clear.
  4. Permit the cake to chill fully.

Frosting

  1. Within the bowl of your stand mixer combine the butter till easy. Add within the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, vanilla and evaporated milk. Combine on low for 30 seconds after which flip the pace as much as medium and blend for 1-2 minutes till it’s creamy and easy.
  2. Unfold the frosting on the cooled cake.

Notes

retailer hermetic at room temperature for as much as 3 days.

Key phrases: bitter cream cake, yellow cake combine recipes, yellow cake with chocolate frosting

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