BASIC YELLOW CAKE

Basic Yellow Cake image

Yield Makes one 9-inch layer cake

Number Of Ingredients 12

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Unsalted butter, for the pans
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3 1/3 cups sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
1 3/4 cups warm water
2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Vanilla or Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (recipes opposite and preceding recipe)

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350°F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Cut 2 9-inch rounds of parchment paper to line the bottoms of 2 9-inch (2 inches deep) round cake pans. Butter and line the pans. Butter the linings. Dust the pans with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Return the bowl to the mixer; fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs, yolk, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until the mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake, switching the positions of the pans and rotating them halfway through, until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 42 minutes. Let cool in the pans on wire racks 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edges of the cakes to loosen. Unmold; peel off the parchment. Let cool completely, top sides up, on the racks.
Trim the tops of the cake layers with a long serrated knife to make them level. Using a small offset spatula, evenly cover the top of one cake layer with 1 1/2 cups frosting; spread the frosting so it extends just beyond the edges of the cake.
Place the second cake layer, cut side down, on top; press gently to make it level. Frost the top and sides of assembled cake with the remaining frosting.