I usually frost the cake right in the pan but you can double this recipe using two cake pans for a double-layer cake. Only line the pan with parchment if you plan to remove the cake from the pan. It’s best to have all your ingredients at room temperature and I highly recommend using a cake strip. Be sure to aerate your flour before measuring.- Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup sugar (the recipe also works using 2/3 cup sugar)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup milk (low fat or whole milk)
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Grease an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan.
- With an electric mixer on high, beat sugar, eggs, & vanilla for one minute to thicken.
- On low speed add remaining ingredients (in the order listed) but do not over-mix. This should take less than a minute.
- Pour into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I like to frost it with my 2-minute chocolate frosting.
Salt: Based on some comments, I added salt (optional) to my recipe. Use a pinch up to 1/4 teaspoon although I make mine without salt.
A cake strip will keep the edges from over baking and will keep the cake from being domed or rounded in the center. For info on cake strips click here.
For more on this recipe in my blog click here.
This recipe us simple and delicious!!
Thank you!!!
I recently made your one pan chocolate cake and was so thrilled with how it turned out I was hoping you had a yellow cake. Love the ease and clarity of your YouTube videos! THANK YOU for creating recipes that can uplift the soul during this pandemic.
Can you use 1/3 cup butter instead of one third cup of oil
I dont see why not you are using a fat in this recipe. You may get a slightly different taste. I have replaced shortening with butter or a different kind of fat in recipes and it still turned out fine
Best cake ever! I’m calling it “quarantine cake” Since I had all the ingredients at home! Made some whipped cream and added fresh strawberries for my mothers birthday it was delightful and I surprised everyone because everyone knows I don’t know how to bake 🙂
I followed the whole recipe but i used brown sugar instead of regular sugar. It smelled absolutely AMAZING and it tasted great. I was scared at first because of how thick the brown sugar was, but it was really good. This is one of the only recipes that i could make because of the simplicity of the recipe. i would totally make it again and recommend to a friend. 🙂
Thanks for the tip on brown sugar! Running low on supplies here and wanting to bake this to carry me through the week. Much appreciated!
Made this cake was amazing because I finally found a recipe that will come out using sugar sub. I used stevia I’m normally Splenda gal but for baking stivia had the same feel as sugar so it acts like it . Thanks
I have just used your delicious recipe to make a pineapple upside down cake using leftover pineapple chunks. It was super easy and Oh so delicious. Thank you.
Can you make an eggless yellow cake like the chocolate one you have posted. The chocolate cake is absolutely amazing and I’d love to make yellow cake with the chocolate frosting you have in that recipe.
You can try using applesauce as an egg replacer or a mashed banana.
I;m blonde….I’m NOT
what???? no comment???? you do not answer constructive criticism????? figure out your website.
Why are you posting all these weird/angry comments on this cake recipe?
It says right in the comment box that due to the virus she can’t reply to everything. So….chill
I choose your recipe to make a cake with. I’ll measure everything as you suggested. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
i HAD a question…..NOW i’m moving on to another RECIPE!!!!! THANKS, NO THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
Great recipe. Super simple and i’ve now made this 3 times. Thank you.
Can I use carnation milk Instead of regular milk Reason being I do make a cake very similar to this actually almost the same recipe except I use three eggs but I use quarter cup of carnation milk and if so how much carnation milk would you suggest I use
Anne
Can you substitute the milk for buttermilk? What are your thoughts? Or it will be too much? Thank you!
Absolutely. I actually have this cake in the oven right now, made with buttermilk. I also added 1.5 ripe bananas. I did a half & half mixture of white sugar and brown sugar, and substituted almond extract for the vanilla. Topped with sliced almonds. Yum! It’s a very versatile recipe. I’ve made it many times with a tons of variations.
I’ve made two versions of this recipe as a loaf so far. Orange cranberry chai and vanilla almond walnut. Unfortunately, I’ve eaten both…in one sitting! Soooo good, right out of the oven!
Cat,
When you make it as a loaf, how long do you cook ii?
Thanks,
Marti
I’ve made it as a loaf and added 10-15 min to the time. Make sure to insert a toothpick or knife into the center to check doneness. When it comes out clean you’re good to go.
This is the best yellow cake recipe I’ve made, and I’ve made quite a few recipes from famous chef’s. I don’t like eating foods with 50 ingredients when I can make it myself with less than 10, but I just couldn’t find a yellow cake recipe with the texture, flavor and moisture that you get from a box or store bought. Finally, this is the one and with staple ingredients I already had! It’s only my husband and myself so it’s the perfect size. I frosted with chocolate frosting and it was so delicious!
This recipe is insanely delicious. I added just the 2/3 cup of sugar, orange zest, the juice of one orange, and chai seeds. I doubled the recipe and filled two loaf pans and baked for a total of 40 minutues. Cake was perfect, moist with a wonderfully toasted top…this is a great go-to recipe. Next up: lemon pistachio! Loved every bite.
Wasn’t sure about this recipe, but it’s one of the best I’ve tried. Don’t wait! Try it. I did use a loaf pan and you have to add about 10-12 minutes extra cooking time. But this recipe tastes like a great pound cake. ❤️
Recipe for Easy one pan yellow cake. Can you use self-rising flour? Thank you.
I wanted some cake and because I’m sick I wanted something with few ingredients so I tried this cake. I’m so glad I did!
I put it in a loaf pan so I can slice it easily and I made a simple vanilla/almond drizzle. It’s delicious. Easy to make and nice a moist.
I will definitely make again!
Hi Jenny! LOVING all your recipes. Can you suggest an icing for this cake other than the chocolate (which is amazing)?
I am made a heart shaped Boston Cream Cake for Valentines Day. I used a single heart shaped pan. Cut cake in half and spread with vanilla pudding (homemade or bought) and ice with chocolate glaze.
Hi Jenny! LOVING all your recipes. Do you have a recipe for icing (other than your chocolate frosting) that you would pair with this yellow cake?
I just made this, it came out really nice. Moist and tasty – except, you forgot salt. I realized at the last minute and saved the batch from blandness.
There is a note about salt in the recipe but I guess I will have to make it more prominent. I’m glad you liked the cake.
How do the dry ingredients compare to a boxed cake mix by volume. I am asking because I have a recipe that calls for a boxed cake mix, but I want to the dry ingredients from a scratch recipe instead.
I was going through some YouTube cooking shows and I came across you Jenny so I decided to try this cake and it is absolutely delicious I use self-rising flour I used the brand no salt sodium free salt whole milk that’s all I had on hand and followed your instructions to a T
I would definitely be making this a lot can’t wait to try your other recipes
Using self rising flour, do you use the baking powder and salt?
I was looking for a one layer cake because it is just my husband and myself to feed. So glad I found this recipe! I wanted chocolate, so I used 1/4 cup Coco (Hershey’s was my choice berceuse I had it on hand), and I used self-rising flower instead of going through the trouble to do the mix. I baked it in a 9 inch granite stone skillet, just because I love that pan. It took 38 minutes to bake though. I also used your glaze recipe and added 3/4 cup of chopped pecans in the glaze. I cut it into 6 pieces and my husband ate 1 1/2 pieces. We love it and will keep this one in our rotation of sweets.
This was delicious. My daughter made it for me in a muffin tin. Do to health problems I have to eat low-fat and other things. This recipe has less than the typical recipe. She filled the muffin cups about 3/4 full (a full icecream scoop) and baked them at 350 for 15 minutes. (you will have to watch it depending on how hot your oven is). Incase that’s helpful for anyone else. They looked a little wet, but the toothpick came out clean and they’re perfect and very moist. Also she made a frosting based off off of a different one she saw Jenny make with 2 tablespoons butter, about 2 cups powdered sugar, a splash of vanilla, and a tiny bit of milk, some salt to taste if you can have it, whipped up fluffy. It’s not a big thick layer, but it’s flavorful and plenty for me. Thank you Jenny for these healthier versions of simple to make food and treats. It’s very much appreciated in my household.
Simple and simply delicious, just as written. A light, delicate flavor and it’s perfect unfrosted with a hot cup of coffee!
I made this cake and used a Bundt pan. It turned out great. I made the first one with vanilla and I made a second one using almond extract. Also after tasting the batter I did add a pinch of salt.
I love that this is a simple quick recipe, but I have found that I need to increase the sugar and vanilla to get the flavor I am after. Otherwise the texture and size is perfect. I have been using this for several years, as someone mentioned its a blank slate. I top with fresh strawberries and a homemade “glaze” for a wonderful summer treat.
We all love the chocolate frosting!
This cake is basically a blank slate. Today I used it to make a spiced pear cake. I added 1/3 cup molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg and two chopped peeled pears. The baking took a bit longer. The results were delicious! I have also used chocolate chips, frozen blueberries, orange extract, different frostings, the possibilities are end less! Also, I bake this in a 9×9 Pyrex pan without any problems. Thank you. I really enjoy experimenting with this cake recipe! Don’t be afraid to try different combinations. If it doesn’t work, eat it anyway and try again!
I was wondering if you could swap the vegetable oil for zero fat greet yogurt with good results?
Did u ever try making? Im super curious to know if it worked!!!! Thanks in advance if u Reply to this!!!!
Excellent cake – easy to make and the texture was light. The edges did brown a bit but I read your message about pans and cake strips and will buy a silver, cheaper cake pan. I look forward to trying more of your recipes and appreciate the use of oil rather than butter in some of the baking recipes.
I have made this many times and love it but sometimes the cake will sink in the middle. I open the oven at 30 minutes to check and it looks ok but not quite done so it back in the oven for 5 more and that is when it falls. What can I do to prevent this?
That can be caused by several reasons: 1) The oven was too hot. 2) Over-mixing the batter. 3) Using the wrong size pan. 4) Changing something in the recipe. 5) Opening the oven door too many times. 6) Expired baking powder.
Be sure to follow the recipe exactly.
I didnt open the door but just that one time. I followed the recipe to a tee. The only thing I have not done is to check the temp so I will go buy that tomorrow and calibrate. Thank you for your answer.
I had this exact same problem. I needed to poke it after 30 minutes and decided it needed 5 more minutes and that was enough to make it fall slightly in the middle. I’d try baking it for 35 minutes and pull it out. I have a feeling it was due to it not being done completely.
Just set your timer and do not open the oven until it goes off. then slide the cake and the rack out check the cake with a tooth pick or skewer to see if done if not put back in for a minute and check again.
Your recipe doesn’t state to use buttermilk but I read a note you added and it said you did. So should I use buttermilk or sweet milk?
Please direct me to the note as I can not find it.
I’ve looked and looked for a simple, delicious cake like this to make for my husband. Great cake!!! Thank you for publishing it. It is a moist, easy cake to make.
I’ve looked and looked for a simple, delicious cake like this to make for my husband. Thank you for publishing it. It is a moist, easy cake to make.
Hi Jenny, I made this recipe today for a gathering. It came out delicious and moist. Also made your 2 minute frosting. I used the Hershey special dark cocoa. This was very creamy and rich. Lots of compliments..BTW, I make many of your recipes from 2 hour crusty bread, which everyone loves, to the Cinnamon raison swirl bread.AWESOME..I think I will make the braid next time..I have also made your pita bread. Delicious..Love your site. I love cooking and baking, especially trying new recipes. I have been making English Muffin Bread, which is incredibly easy and delicious. Let me know if you would like this recipe. Believe me. I make this alot forfriends and family. They cannot get enough of it. I think you would agree.
The cake came out amazing!!!!
but since I have a gas stove and oven I lowered the heat to 300 and it cooked perfectly for 20 minutes but I did preheat for 350 and I used a 9 inch pan.
Since my family is a fan of Almond cake I tried almond extract instead of vanilla and made a soaking syrup with almond you can add Brandy if you like
perfect delicious scrumptious cake Thank you so much for the recipe
I doubled the recipe as I like making Layer cakes. Also added a tsp salt to the recipe. Made 24 cupcakes that baked perfectly at 14 minutes. Tastes like a cake mix. All in all not a fail…I’ll take it.
I am going to try using this cake as a base for a pineapple upside down cake!
I made this cake as a base for pineapple upside down cake…it turned out great…I would suggest doubling recipe if you use a 13×9 pan because it was a little flatter than I am used to but tasted great with warm pineapple mixture on bottom
Hi Jenny.
Thank you again.
I made this recipe today. It was good and fluffy and very easy to make. the only issue was it tasted floury, like it was nor cook well. When I inserted the clean knife, it came out clean at 35 min. The only thing I changed was that I used self rising flour instead all purpose flour as you indicates in recipe.
What do you think? other than that it would have been super.
Every day I searching your website.
thank you
I suggest trying it with all purpose flour and see if it’s better.
Thank you Jenny.
I will do.
Thank you
I use self rising flour and it doesn’t have a taste, it sounds like you didn’t mix the batter up enough.
Really good cake. Easy. Don’t over mix the batter! Do add more vanilla and/or almond extract. I bake it in a loaf pan (45 minutes, 350) and pour ganache over it or split in half and fill with fruit and cream for our free community lunch. If you are an over mixer, over mix your liquids and fold in the dry with spatula.
Very good, very simple cake. Fast, easy, and doesn’t require uncommon ingredients (I never have cake flour, for instance, so cake is often hard to make). Anyone whose cake comes out dry has likely over-mixed the batter. I found it perfectly moist.
I don’t love the recommended chocolate frosting recipe (it’s too bland and gritty), but there are plenty of other options in that regard. Great cake recipe I’m adding to my collection!
Wonderful cake…I did beat eggs for three minutes…and added one tablespoon instant vanilla pudding mix to boost flavor and a tad more sugar….kept everything the same…….it was a moist sponge type cake……a keeper…..thank you for sharing…..
Just made the cake I used almond instead of vanilla my son loved it, cakes a little dry but tasted ok
I’m baking right now. Hope it tastes good or great
Hi Jenny! I’m a new fan of you. My mom and I are going to bake the cake now! I just KNOW it’s going to taste AWESOME! 👋🍰🎂🧁😎👋
Hi Jenny I’m new fan .
My kids and I love this recipe along with your chocolate cake recipe.
Its was so simple thank you for sharing.
Happy Holidays 🤗
This little layer makes a great pineapple upside down cake. Delicious.
Delicious, easy cake! I used it for strawberry shortcake. Next time I will add a teaspoon of butter flavoring.
Hi Jenny, l’m a new fan of you. I Love your recipes it make me feel like a real chef.😄 Can l use this cake for a tres leches cake?.. I made the apple pie and it was delicious. Now l checking all of your recipes. Thank you, Thank you, thank you.
I made it gluten free. Not sure if oven or gf flour caused it, but cake did not brown on top. I used wax paper and cooked 30 min. I did use reduced sugar suggestion and topped with cherry pie filling. It is good.
I forgot to mention that I also used cashew milk.
I’m so happy to have found this recipe. I never have fresh milk in the house so I used 1/4 cup evaporated milk and 1/4 cup of coffee. I also used 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of white granulated sugar. It is so good. This time I put a pineapple and powdered sugar glaze on it. Delicious!😋
I’ve made this a few times and i prefer it with the full amount of sugar and with salt. I wanted a fluffier cake, so this time I used the genoise method : gently warm the eggs and sugar over a double boiler, and then add the flour by hand. I mixed the liquids together and folded that in. The result was a soft and smooth cake. Thank you Jenny
I can’t believe how easy and how mine turned out just like the picture. I topped mine with a peanutbutter icing .
Very good.
I will make the next one with almond flour and see how it goes. Thank you
I have made this cake two times absolutely delicious. I am wondering if I could make the batter and put on top of a prepared strawberry rhubarb mixture in tbe bottom of the pan.?
Thank you
Jenny
This receipe was easy to make and delicious. We used 2/3 cups of sugar and topped with strawberries and blueberries. Everyone went back for more!
Hi Jenny,
I just made this one bowl yellow cake last night and I was so excited! It is just the right size for a few people and I like not always having a 2 layer cake to have to eat up. This was perfect. Such a great texture and perfect flavor to dress up or eat just as it is.
I did have some left over pineapple rings and maraschino cherries in the fridge and immediately thought of Pineapple Upside down cake. So this time I used 1/4 C of almond milk – we are dairy free here – mixed with 1/4 C of pineapple juice and that was the only tweak to the cake because I wanted pineapple flavor in the cake. No butter melted in the pan first. I lined it with parchment paper and just popped in 1/3 C of light brown sugar and spread it out and laid the pineapple rings and a cherry in the middle of each one on top of the sugar then poured that lovely batter on top. I baked the cake at 350 for 30 minutes and it was golden brown and baked to perfection. I inverted the cake on a plate, removed the parchment, and let it cool about 20 minutes. We cut into it and it was perfection.
Thanks for the yummy recipes and the entertaining and easy to follow videos. You are such fun to watch! I have tried several of your recipes and I haven’t ever been disappointed.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
I mixed it all by hand and used self rising flour and omitted baking powder. I also used butter and nut extract like my Grandmother did in her yellow cakes. I also used FF milk. Just used what I had on hand and it turned out great. I will use this as my go to snack cake since I just eat mine plain. Thank you so much.
Hello, and thank you so much for this recipe. I baked it once and it came up awesomely delicious. No need for frosting, nor fruit or anything. I like my cake plain. I used it for a treat to accompany my mid-afternoon coffee. I was surprised it was so yummy, so I had to bake another one to make sure the first one wasn’t a fluke. Lol. I don’t have the gift of baking😁 …but your recipe is that amazing! Once again, such a simple recipe made my cake come out extraordinarily! Now I’m PMS-ing big time, and I’m craving chocolate. Do you have another simple recipe for a chocolate cake ( no frosting) or how do I convert this cake into a chocolate cake without ruining the recipe please? Thanks a million 😊
See my Quick & Easy Chocolate Cake.
Excellent quick cake recipe. I’ve made this recipe three times using an 8-inch square pan lined with parchment on the bottom. It’s very easy to hand-mix the batter because the recipe uses oil not butter, no need to use a mixer. I made a lemon cake by substituting lemon extract instead of the vanilla extract and topped the cake with a light glaze of confectioners sugar mixed with fresh lemon juice. Really great summer cake served with vanilla ice cream and slices of fresh fruit.
Wow, a food blog that gets right to the recipe without the unnecessary novel preceding it like on every other ad-riddled blog. Well, looks like I’ll be trying your recipe!
Lol on the novel…. yup, i agree….how pleasant to JUST get the recipe!!
I couldn’t agree more, I really don’t want to read someone’s life story just to get a recipe 🙂
Do you think I could replace the sugar with raw honey? If so would I need to alter any of the other ingredients???
I have made this cake about 5-6 times. It has come out great each time. I tried something different. I found a can of pineapple in the cabinet so I made it into a pineapple upside down cake. I baked it about 10-15 longer until cake sprung back. It came out really good. I will make it again both plain and gussied up. Thanks Jenny
came out perfectly & I added cherries 🍒
Delicious 😋
I’ve made this cake 5 times and all but 2 came out great. I tried to double the recipe and my guess is that i didn’t add enough of something like baking powder or flour. It came out horrible, it wasn’t cooked and it was clean when i stuck the tooth pick in but when i ate a piece it tasted like egg and flour. The other 3 times it came out great. It wasn’t to sugary or bland it was just the perfect amount of sugar for my sisters.
This cake is perfect! The ease of prep and delicious end result have definitely crossed boxed mixes off my shopping list! I made it with the reduced recommended 2/3 cup sugar, and it was sufficiently sweet. Thank you for posting this “keeper” recipe!!
my cake turned out LITERALLY like cornbread… dry and dense also. anyone else?
If you can send me an exact list of each ingredient you used (be specific) including the size of the pan, and your method of mixing & how long you preheated the oven, I will try to help figure it out.
I’m trying the recipe today I’ll get back with you how it turns out looks very simple and it did only take 10 minutes thanks
Perfect for the use of creating a cake for Strawberry Shortcake. It sliced easily through the middle to create a pocket for the fresh, crushed strawberries & powered sugar. I baked it in an 8 inch square pan.
However, I wouldn’t bake this as a traditional cake with icing. While it was perfect for my purposes, the texture was too dense to be considered a regular cake.
Definitely easy to make and I like that it’s just for one pan! However for us, it came out a bit dense, dry, and bland. I used less sugar — next time I think I would use the higher amount. Maybe I didn’t beat the eggs “thick” enough?
Using this cake recipe to make a peach dump cake tonight. Excited – will let you know how it turns out. Thank you.
How did the peach dump cake turn out?
I just made Jenny’s original yellow cake recipe with the chocolate frosting. It turned out great! I passed Jenny’s site along to my daughter and friends. The other week I made her chocolate cake recipe with no eggs. Oh my, it was so moist, tasty and everyone thought it was delicious.
Made this cake twice so far. Used butter both times instead of olive oil. First time it seemed like it didn’t rise very much. Wife also said it was pretty dry. Could have fooled me. She ate 2 pieces, as did my son and we had it two-thirds done before too long. Then I noticed both my baking powder containers said they were expired – one expired in 2012! Who’da thunk baking powder expires? So the second cake, without question, was much better.
Look on Internet how to test yeast, baking soda, baking powder for baking. I have used all well outside of expiration dates , IF they still test active.
I made this cake today. Did not add salt and used the lesser amount of sugar. I split my piece in two and spread it with black raspberry “Simply Fruit” in place of frosting. Enjoyed it a lot and want to thank you for all of your healthier recipes.
What if u don’t havebaking power!!!?
WHAT if u don’t have baking power!!!?
They’re many substitutes for baking powder. One of my favorite substitutes is a mix of 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 cup of plain or vanilla yogurt.