Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes Classic Yellow Cake Batter 3.5 (628) 18 Reviews This easy batter can be used for sheet cakes, birthday cakes, cupcakes, and more. By Martha Stewart Test Kitchen Martha Stewart Test Kitchen The recipes developed by our test kitchen team have undergone a rigorous process of development and testing, ensuring that every element is optimal, from ingredient amounts to method and cooking time. This process includes triple-testing recipes to ensure they meet our high standards. The many stellar cooks and food editors who have been part of our team include Sarah Carey, Lucinda Scala Quinn, Jennifer Aaronson, Shira Bocar, Anna Kovel, Greg Lofts, Riley Wofford, Lauren Tyrell, and Lindsay Leopold. Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 24, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Prep Time: 15 mins Total Time: 15 mins Yield: 8 cups Layer cake, cupcakes, or loaf cake? Our basic yellow cake batter recipe makes all of these crowd-pleasing desserts and more, including Raspberry-Cream Layer Cake, Cappuccino-Chocolate Cupcakes, and Chocolate-Vanilla Marble Cakes. The secret ingredient is the buttermilk: It doesn't just enhance the batter's flavor with its subtle tang, but keeps the cake moist and tender, too. Be patient when mixing the butter and sugar. This important step is called creaming and aerates the batter, creating a light, fluffy texture. While our cake batter recipe can be made by hand, it's easier if you use a stand or hand mixer. It follows the classic method of creaming the butter and sugar, then adding the eggs one by one. The dry ingredients are added in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk. How you use the batter is entirely up to you—but whatever you decide, you'll have plenty to work with. The recipe makes enough for a sheet cake, several layer cake layers, or a batch of cupcakes, among other uses. 30 Easy Cake Recipes That Every Home Baker Should Master Diana Chistruga Ingredients 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 1 ¾ cups sugar 4 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 3 cups cake flour (spooned and leveled) 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon fine salt 1 ½ cups buttermilk Directions Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. Butter should be soft enough to hold a thumbprint, but still keep its shape. Diana Chistruga In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Diana Chistruga Beat in 4 eggs plus 2 yolks, one at a time, until combined. Beat in vanilla extract. Diana Chistruga In another large bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Diana Chistruga With mixer on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture to butter mixture, beating to combine. Diana Chistruga Beat in 3/4 cup buttermilk, another 1/3 of the flour mixture, another 3/4 cup buttermilk, and remaining flour mixture until just combined. Scrape down bowl as needed. Diana Chistruga Using Classic Yellow Cake Batter Use our Classic Yellow Cake Batter whenever you need a yellow cake—for a sheet cake, trifle, birthday cake, cupcakes, or just for snacking. The recipe yields 8 cups of batter, enough for a 9-x 13-inch sheet cake, four 8-x 2-inch round layers, or about 24 cupcakes. Diana Chistruga We recommend baking all the batter when you make it; it will not rise as well if baked later. Rate it Print