Best-Ever Yellow Cake With Whipped Ganache Frosting

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Our Best-Ever Yellow Cake with Whipped Ganache Frosting is the iconic celebration cake. Buttery, finely- textured layers of yellow cake are topped with fluffy chocolate ganache. It’s beloved for good reason, and our crowd-favorite version will become your go-to for birthdays, holidays, and any time you crave a perfect frosted yellow cake!

• Moist golden cake: This classic yellow butter cake has its origins in pound cake, but it’s leavened with baking soda and baking powder, giving it a light and fluffy crumb. The sunny yellow color comes from egg yolks, which also make the cake richly flavored and delectably tender.
• Melt-in-your-mouth chocolate ganache: Luscious chocolate and velvety cream are whipped into a silky, deeply delicious frosting. Just as important, it comes together in a jiff, and it’s a dream to work with. This ganache gives your cake a glossy, professional look.

Yellow cake and chocolate ganache make a classic combination, perhaps because both elements are so irresistible. At Bigger Bolder Baking, we love yellow cake in all its forms, including gluten-free Vanilla Almond-Flour Yellow Cake and Next-Level Pineapple Upside Down Cake. If you love ganache (and doesn’t everyone?!), you’ll adore our Heavenly Champagne Truffles, Orange Shortbread with Chocolate Orange Truffle Filling, and Salted Caramel & Peanut Chocolate Tart.

Table of Contents

• What is Best-Ever Yellow Cake with Whipped Ganache Frosting?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make Best-Ever Yellow Cake with Whipped Ganache Frosting
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
• FAQs
• Easy Cake Decorating Tips
• More Layer Cake Recipes

What is Best-Ever Yellow Cake with Whipped Ganache Frosting?

• Best-Ever Yellow Cake with Whipped Ganache Frosting is a classic dessert made with two layers of golden butter cake filled and frosted with ganache. The ganache is made from melted milk and bittersweet chocolate mixed with heavy cream and whipped until fluffy.
• This yellow cake recipe is made using a reverse creaming method. It creates a cake with a tight and refined crumb and also simplifies and streamlines the cake mixing.
• Celebrating birthdays with cake dates back to Ancient Greece, where birthdays were marked by making an offering to Artemis, goddess of the moon and the hunt. The offering was typically a round cake lit with candles to simulate a bright, full moon. By the Middle Ages in Germany, children would get a party, called a Kinderfeste, with a birthday cake topped with as many candles as their age plus one more for the upcoming year. But at the time, the candles would be put on the cake in the morning, left to burn all day, and then the cake was eaten in the evening!

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Glass measuring jug
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• Two 8-inch (20-cm) or 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pans
• Parchment paper
• Stand mixer (optional) or electric hand mixer
• Silicone spatula
• Cake tester
• Wire cooling rack
• Medium saucepan
• Serrated knife
• Cake decorating turntable or cake stand (optional)
• Offset spatula

Key Ingredients and Why

Cake flour

• Cake flour is very finely milled from soft winter wheat. It has a protein content of around 6 to 8% and makes cakes with a refined, tight, and tender crumb.
• If you don’t have cake flour, it’s easy to make our DIY Cake Flour Substitute, or you can simply use all-purpose flour in this recipe. 

Granulated sugar

• Sugar sweetens the cake and also adds moisture.
• You can also use caster sugar in this recipe. 

Butter

• Butterfat coats the flour and inhibits gluten formation, giving the cake a delicate, tender texture.
• Importantly, butter gives this cake rich, creamy flavor.
• Be sure to use room-temperature butter here. Learn how to easily soften cold butter the correct way.

Eggs

• Eggs are used as a binding agent in cakes. Additionally, they give the cake moisture, aeration, emulsification, and structure.
• Eggs come in different sizes, from medium to jumbo. We use large eggs for all our recipes, which weigh approximately 1¾oz (50g) without the shell. That is 30g for the white and 20g for the yolk. 
• Unless specified, room-temperature eggs should always be used when baking.

Buttermilk

• Buttermilk imparts a pleasing tang to baked goods, and the acid it contains keeps the gluten bonds in flour from tightening, resulting in a more tender cake.
• When mixed together with baking soda, buttermilk helps the cake rise. 
• Don’t worry if you don’t have buttermilk; with our recipe, it’s easy to make your own substitute.

Baking powder

• Baking powder is a combination of baking soda and an acid (usually tartaric acid).
• When mixed into liquid and activated by the heat of baking, it creates carbon dioxide, which creates rise in baked goods.
• Learn all about chemical leaveners in How to Make Baking Powder and Baking Soda Explained.

Baking soda

• Baking soda is a chemical leavener.
• Unlike baking powder, baking soda contains no acid, so it needs an acidic ingredient like buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice (or some acidic sweeteners like brown sugar or honey) to activate.

Vanilla extract

• Vanilla extract imparts a rounded, subtly sweet note to baked goods.
• Much like salt, vanilla extract supports other flavors.

Salt

• A touch of salt is necessary in even sweet recipes. Without it, recipes can taste flat.

Milk chocolate

• Milk chocolate is used with bittersweet chocolate to make the ganache smoother. Milk chocolate has 25 to 30% cocoa solids and a creamier texture than bittersweet chocolate.
• Milk chocolate is sweeter than dark chocolate, and when mixed with bittersweet chocolate, it gives the ganache a balanced flavor.

Bittersweet chocolate

• Use bittersweet chocolate, which generally contains 60 to 72% cocoa solids with no dairy.
• Our Ultimate Guide to the Different Types of Chocolate is your go-to for what chocolate is best to use in a recipe. 

Heavy whipping cream

• We use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (36% fat) in this recipe. Any less, and you will have a hard time getting the cream to the correct consistency.
• Check the label on your cream to ensure you have cream with the correct fat content.

Confetti sprinkles

• One of my all-time favorite ways to add a little sparkle to a cake is with Confetti Sprinkles. They make every cake a celebration!

How to Make Best-Ever Yellow Cake with Whipped Ganache Frosting

Make the yellow cake

Prepare to bake:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and butter and line two 8-inch (20cm) or 9-inch (23cm) round cake pans. Set aside.

Mix the batter: 

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt at low speed until combined.
3. Mix together buttermilk and vanilla in a glass measuring cup. 
4. Add the softened butter and one-quarter of the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix on low until moistened. Turn up to high speed and beat for 2 minutes.
5. Turn mixer down to medium and beat in the eggs one at a time until combined.
6. Turn up the mixer to medium-high and add the remaining buttermilk mixture in three to four increments. Stop as soon as the ingredients are evenly mixed.

Bake the cake:

7. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
8. Let the layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes, and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the ganache

Mix the ganache

9. Combine the chocolates in a large bowl.
10. In a saucepan, gently heat the cream over medium-low heat until steaming (don’t let it boil).
11. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 10 minutes.
12. With a spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together until a smooth ganache forms.

Cool the ganache

13. Place the ganache in the fridge and cool for about 30 minutes until it has the consistency of peanut butter. Stir it gently every 10 minutes as it cools so it thickens evenly.

Whip the ganache

14. Transfer the ganache to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer) and whip on medium speed until fluffy, about three minutes. (DO NOT overwhip, as the ganache could split.)

Assemble and frost the layer cake

15. With a serrated knife, carefully cut the cooled cake layers in half.
16. Place a bottom layer on a cake stand and spread with 3/4 cup of ganache. Add the top layer and spread with 3/4 cup of ganache. Continue layering and frosting with remaining cake and ganache.
17. Cover the assembled cake with a crumb coat: frost the cake’s top and sides with a very thin layer of ganache. Refrigerate cake until firm, 45 to 60 minutes.
18. Use the remaining ganache to frost the top and sides of cake.
19. Top with sprinkles and serve.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• The cake batter should be well-mixed and lump-free but not overmixed. It is a fine line, but if you follow my directions, you will be fine!
• This classic yellow cake recipe is the perfect base for any other buttercream you prefer if you would rather not have a chocolate frosting. Buttercream flavor ideas include (but are most certainly not limited to) vanilla, lemon, strawberry, cream cheese, or caramel. Really, the sky’s the limit! You can also fill this cake with curd or jam and cover it with a buttercream flavor of your choice!
• Also, if you have a kitchen scale, weigh your pans after you add the batter and before you bake to ensure that the batter is distributed evenly!
• Buy yourself some insurance by buttering and flouring your cake pan after it has been lined with parchment. It will pop right out. 

Make Ahead & Storage Instructions

• Bake cake layers ahead and freeze:
  • Cake layers can be baked, wrapped well in plastic wrap, and stored in the freezer for up to one month.
• Freeze unwhipped ganache:
  • Unwhipped ganache can also be frozen for one month.
• Defrost everything on the counter overnight, whip the ganache, and assemble your cake the day you wish to serve it!
• How to store leftovers:
  • Store leftover cake covered at room temperature for one day.
  • For more extended storage, wrap the cake or put it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to three days.

FAQs

How do I make sure my cake isn’t dry?

• Always measure the flour carefully, and keep in mind that cake flour weighs less than all-purpose flour.
• Use the spoon and sweep method if using measuring cups, or use a kitchen scale if you have one.
• Also, check that your oven is calibrated correctly. Some ovens run hot, which can overbake and dry out a cake.

My cake has peaks and a cracked surface. What happened?

• Your batter may have been overmixed, or your oven may run too hot.
• Check the temperature with a separate oven thermometer and adjust the baking temperature accordingly.

My cake rose and then sank in the middle!

• The batter may have been under-mixed, or too much baking powder was used.
• Also, check the temperature of your oven. This can happen if the oven is not hot enough.

Why did my cake batter separate?

• This isn’t uncommon because we add quite a lot of liquid to the dry ingredients, and separating can be a result.
• To avoid it, turn your machine to a higher speed when adding the liquid and add in three to four stages.
• Be sure to add the liquid a little at a time so it has time to incorporate before adding more. 

My Ganache Looks Greasy And Broken. Why?

• Do not let the cream get too hot before you pour it on the chocolate. It should be steaming but not boiling.
• Avoid stirring your ganache too much once you add the cream. The high-fat content of the chocolate can cause the ganache to separate when the fatty cream is added.
• This ganache calls for milk chocolate, which has more sugar and less fat, so it is less likely to happen to this particular ganache.
• You can fix a broken ganache by placing it in a bowl over a pot of simmering water and blending it with an immersion blender.
• If this doesn’t bring it back together, try adding a splash of warm milk (not cream) to the ganache and continuing to blend with the immersion blender.

Easy Cake Decorating Tips

• Cold cake layers are much easier to handle and decorate. If you have time, wrap your layers well and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before assembling.
• Always crumb coat a cake before adding the final top layer of frosting – this will seal in the crumbs and keep your cake looking pretty. To do this, fill and stack the layers and then spread a very thin coat of frosting all over the outside of the cake. Refrigerate this until the crumb coat is firm, about 1 hour. Then wipe away any loose crumbs on the plate and add your decorative top layer of frosting.
• Store-bought or Homemade Sprinkles are a festive way to decorate any cake!
• Edible flowers (found at some well-stocked grocery stores) are another fun, easy and quick way to decorate a cake.
• If you like to pipe decorations, this ganache is great for piping!
• Try making a naked cake: frost the cake and then, using a bench scraper, scrape most of the frosting off the sides of the cake to expose the layers.

More Layer Cake Recipes

• 3-Layer Neapolitan Cake
• Stunning Tiramisu Cake
• 24-Layer Chocolate Cake
• Hazelnut Cake with Salted Buttercream Frosting
• Oreo Cake

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