I’m a firm believer in having a few great, reliable recipes in your back pocket, and using them for just about everything you need. Yellow cake is definitely one those for me.
Baking cake from scratch at a high-altitude is tough stuff, some of the hardest really when it comes to high-altitude baking. But the great thing is, once you find a recipe that works, you can use it for a million other things, and you can dress it up any which way.
How to Make the Perfect High-Altitude Cake
This cake is really simple actually, and the texture is perfect once baked. For the classic version, of course we’re flavoring it with vanilla extract, and otherwise just letting the butter flavor shine through. That’s what you really want in a yellow cake.
Think of this as your base for everything. I use this recipe, or some variation of this recipe, for about a million other cakes. Here’s some fun ideas:
You can use any extracts that you prefer here. You can also replace the milk with other liquids, like citrus juice, coffee, or even alcohol to make a cocktail flavored cake. Top with crumbs, fill it with chocolate chips, layer it between frosting, do just about anything with this simple, easy to whip up cake. Seriously.
I topped mine with a simple chocolate ganache for this post, but you can throw any kind of buttercream on top, or just dust it with powdered sugar. The options are endless, sorry I keep mentioning more!
This is the best yellow cake recipe if you live at a high-altitude. I hope this relieves all your cake woes, it definitely has fixed many of my own! Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks for the Best High-Altitude Yellow Cake
Here are all my best tips for making a perfect high-altitude cake!
- Be sure you don’t over-mix the cake batter. You want the ingredients to be just incorporated, and it’s a good ideal to finish mixing the batter by hand to avoid over-mixing.
- The batter is very thick. It will be very thick, and that’s the perfect texture for this recipe. You’ll need to use an offset spatula or a rubber spatula to spread the batter evenly in your baking pan.
- How do I know when my high-altitude cake is finished baking? Your cake should have a light golden color on top, and it should look set. When you insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, it should come out with just a few crumbs on it.
- Can I double or triple this recipe for multiple layers? Yes, you can easily double or triple this recipe for a multi-layer cake. Just be sure you are scraping the bottom of your bowl to ensure everything is well mixed.
- I’m at about 5,000 ft above sea level, and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft above sea level do not need to adjust my recipes.
- Can I adjust this recipe for a higher altitude? Yes, if you’re higher up, you may want to decrease the baking powder by 1/4-1/2 tsp, and add an additional 1-2 tbs. of flour.
Enjoy!
Perfect Yellow Cake
This recipe makes one 8-inch round cake. You can double or even triple it very easily for larger projects, and it adapts well to cupcakes also!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup sugar, heaping
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tbs. milk
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease an 8-inch round or square cake pan. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, eggs, and sour cream until combined- the mixture will be lumpy. Then, add in the flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat until combined. Add in the milk, and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture is very smooth.
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The batter will be thick. Pour into your prepared pan, and spread it evenly. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, and top or use as desired!
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
This looks great! But can you use it if you're not in high altitude??
Hi Molly! Since I'm not at sea level I can't say for sure that it will work with these adjustments, but I would suggest adding 2-3 tablespoons LESS flour, and 1/8 tsp. MORE baking powder. Again, these are just suggestions since I can't test recipes at sea level! Hope that is helpful!
I’m going to use this for a Boston Creme Pie!
Hey Ginger! Awesome, it's a great recipe!!
Yes! I'm making a Boston Creme Pie too! It's my husband's favorite
At what elevation did you work out this recipe?
Hello! I live in the Denver area, so at around five thousand feet!
The pictures on you site make me crave sweets. I found you looking for a basic high altitude cake recipe. I'm looking for a recipe with basic ingredients that I always have on hand. Sour cream is never in my pantry because no one in the family will eat it. Same goes for plain yogurt. Can you recommend a substitute or suggest another go to basic cake recipe?
Hi Angela!! So glad you found my site! So another good substitute is mayonnaise. I know that sounds weird, but it works beautifully!
Well we certainly have mayo. In the meantime I picked up a small container of sour cream for a first go. Now I think I'll make two layers one with sour cream the other with Mayo to see if any one notices or can taste the sour cream. I'm out near DIA so if I mess up I won't be able to blame the altitude. Looking forward to baking again. Thank you.
Awesome, I think that will work well for you!
OH MY GOSH!! You are my hero! Just tried your yellow cake recipe and so far it looks really good. Just took it out of the oven and it didn't fall! I'm at 7300 feet. My sister is at 10500 and she's going to try it too. Thank you soooooooo much!!
So glad to hear it!! I love this recipe, use it all the time!!
We are at 7200 ft elevation. I made the cake as directed but it still fell in the middle. What did I do wrong?
Hi there! I'm sorry to hear it didn't work- we are at slightly different altitudes, here's what I suggest- add an additional tablespoon of flour, and try another mixing method. It sounds odd, but try to put everything in the mixing bowl at once, and beat until just combined. It's an odd method, but this cake can be particularly sensitive to over-mixing, and this will avoid that. I hope that helps!
Hi there! Would this recipe work well for a sheet cake?
Hi there- you can use this recipe as a sheet cake, yes. In either case- if you're doing a 9×13 inch or a half-sheet pan, you should be able to double the recipe. For a 9×13, it will likely take longer to bake, and for a larger sheet pan with a thinner cake, it may not take as long to bake, so you'll want to check it about 5-10 minutes earlier than this recipe calls for.
How would cake flour work in this recipe?
I would not swap cake flour in this recipe- cake flour won't have as much structure and in this particular recipe that will be a problem.
I’m in the Denver area and have struggled producing a cake that is not dry and stiff. This recipe is the answer. ABSOLUTELY PERFECT EVERYTIME!
If I were to make this as a sheet cake, would I be able to double or triple the recipe?
Hi there- you can double the recipe for a 9×13 inch cake pan, and the same would work for a half-sheet size pan if that's what your preference is here. The half-sheet pan version will just be thinner than a 9×13, but typically that's best for half sheet pans anyways. Hope that helps!
I am at 6500 feet. I doubled the recipe and made it in a Bundt pan. I substituted all dairy free as I have a dairy allergy – dairy free butter, dairy free cashew yogurt for sour cream, and coconut milk instead of milk. The texture is amazing and it is delicious. Thank you for a great recipe.