True Claim: The Best One-Bowl Yellow Cake Recipe

Last night my sweet husband wanted a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. I found the following recipe via a trusty google search. CinnamonSpiceAndEverythingNice claimed it to be the best. I've copied her entire post (with the exception of all her pictures) below because I don't want to one day go to her lovely blog page and it be gone. Her description of ease and quickness are perfect. "It's a keeper" for sure! The only difference is our cake was frosted with Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting (recipe below). Delicious!! We sat in bed last night, eating our cake on heart shaped plates while watching the recent episode of Amazing Race. Romantic!! ;)

"This is a charming one-bowl yellow cake recipe that I imagine my Grandma might have made. The recipe comes out of a McCall's book published 100 years ago in 1910. A recipe with the far reaching ability to be viable a century later. The proof? Three people. In 28 hours. Decimated the entire cake. It's one of the best cakes I've ever tasted. If not theebest. Ever. 

Old-fashioned cake recipes hold a special appeal for me. They produce outstanding results without relying on bells or whistles. You can't go wrong with this one-bowl cake for it's ease, quickness and impressive outcome. It's a keeper. A good one to add to your recipe file. I believe everyone should have a good cake recipe at their fingertips they can count on should the need arise.


Typically yellow cakes are frosted with chocolate frosting, but being out of chocolate a cream cheese frosting was used, and very lightly. It's a well- known fact that I love frosting more than cake but for once I didn't mind the sparse amount of frosting. It just doesn't need it.The cake is truly the shining star, tender and billowy like soft, fluffy clouds, and perfectly moist even the next day. It is packed with flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. The fragrant scent of it alone made me swoon. Being anywhere in the vicinity of it will draw you like a spider to it's lair and keep you there enthralled. Totally delectable, completely irresistible and unforgettably delicious, it'll live in memory as the cake we ate devoured inrecord no time.


My Mom and I both agreed that whip cream frosting would compliment it beautifully so I've included the recipe for that along with the cream cheese frosting."


Old-Fashioned Yellow Cake
(adapted from McCall's Book of Cakes and Pies)

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 + 1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans. 

2. In a large mixing bowl sift flour and sugar, baking powder and salt.

3. Add butter, milk and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, occasionally scraping sides of bowl. 

4. Add eggs, beat for 2 more minutes. 

5. Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally among both. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

6. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Turn out and cool thoroughly on wire racks. Frost with cream cheese or whip cream frosting. If using whip cream frosting the cake must be refrigerated.


Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus extra if needed

In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese on low until light and fluffy, gradually beating in the butter. Beat in vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar and beat until well blended. Add extra confectioners' sugar if needed to get it to the right spreading consistency.

Whipped Cream Frosting

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and chill with the whisk/beaters you will be mixing it with. Cover and chill for 30 minutes, then beat the mixture until stiff peaks form. 

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

2/3 cup hershey's cocoa powder

3 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency. Add more milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups of pretty frosting. 


Please visit CinnamonSpiceAndEverythingNice for more great recipes!! :)