Looking to recreate your favorite yellow cake mix from scratch? This Small 6 Inch Yellow Cake For Two with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting is the perfect size if you’re looking for cake portion control.
Did you grow up eating cake mix? I did.
There are 4 of us – me, my brother, and my parents. Mom would often make each family member a cake for his or her birthday, usually devil’s food but sometimes yellow or even funfetti.
When I learned how to bake, I insisted on making homemade cakes. I even make my own birthday cake now (although I will not object to someone buying me an ice cream cake).
For awhile I made layer cakes on the blog, but I’m now I’m focusing on small batch sizes with 6 inch cakes. Whether you’re looking for dessert for two or you’re looking for portion control, I got you covered.
After making my small 6 inch chocolate cake for two, I started thinking about what flavors to make next. Soon I started thinking about yellow cake, the kind you see as a cake mix. Of course I’m all about baking cakes from scratch, so I set out to make this Small 6 Inch Yellow Cake For Two.
What’s funny is yellow isn’t a flavor. You have chocolate cake, vanilla cake, strawberry cake. Then you have yellow cake. What does yellow taste like exactly?
Yellow cake gets its name from using butter and whole eggs (compared to white cake where you use only egg whites). Quite frankly, it’s a vanilla cake made with whole eggs. In other words, yellow cake and vanilla cake are the same. It depends on whether you want the richness from the yolks or stick with all whites.
I tested this recipe probably 8 times. The cakes started out too thin. Then some kept doming in the middle while others did the opposite and sunk. I ended up adding baking soda to neutralize the acidity in the buttermilk while the baking powder helped the cake rise to the desired thickness.
For baking equipment, you need a 6 inch round cake pan (affiliate link). If you’re having trouble finding one, check out the cake decorating section of your local craft store.
If you make dessert for two on a regular basis, you should invest in at least one pan, two if you want to make a small layer cake like my Cherry Vanilla Layer Cake.
For the frosting, I used my Small Batch Chocolate Frosting, which makes enough to frost the top and outside. Don’t forget the sprinkles!
Small 6 Inch Yellow Cake For Two
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- Small Batch Chocolate Frosting - get the recipe here
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease one 6-inch round cake pan then line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla (it will look curdled).
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, adding the flour in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions (begin and end with dry ingredients).
- Transfer the batter to the pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs (no wet batter). Cool for about 15 minutes, run a knife along the edge of the pan to loosen, and invert onto a cooling rack. Cool right-side-up.
- Frost with Small Batch Chocolate Frosting (get recipe here).
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Sandy says
Thank you – another small cake for me to bake! :-) I am so loving these small 6″ cakes – they are so quick to mix, bake and do not last long in the fridge – another bonus!
Carla says
So happy to hear you’re enjoying them! I have a few more flavors planned throughout the year.
Ashley says
If I wanted to use cake flour, would I need to change anything else in the recipe?
Carla says
Instead of writing the recipe to use cake flour, I used all purpose flour plus cornstarch. However, if you do have cake flour handy, you can use 3/4 cup cake flour and omit the cornstarch.
Jeanie says
Do you have a recipe for a 6-in chocolate cake?
Carla says
Yes I do! I linked to it in the post, but here it is again: https://www.chocolatemoosey.com/2018/01/29/small-chocolate-cake-for-two/
Sonya C. says
This cake was fabulous, so moist and delish. The frosting is to die for!! The cake is just the right size for everyone in house (it’s 3 of us) to enjoy a nice small slice after one great dinner. I like not having cake in the house that I will eat on for a week…adding a thousand calories that I don’t need!! I can’t wait to try the chocolate cake. Thanks so much for the small batch recipes. I have been trying to eat better, but like dessert every now and then and this cake fits the bill.
Carla says
Thank you for the positive feedback! Glad everyone enjoyed the cake.
Barbara says
Wow, thank you for the I recipe! The cake and frosting are absolutely delicious. I was looking for a recipe for a single layer cake; I’m so glad I found this one. I will definitely be making the cake and frosting again. Thank you!
Barbara says
I meant to add that I needed a recipe that didn’t require a lot of milk as I didn’t have very much. I made the “buttermilk” myself by adding some lemon juice to whole milk. And, for the first time ever, I made a cake that didn’t dome! Finally, I made a cake that looks – and tastes – like it came from a bakery! Woo hoo!
Carla says
Thank you for the positive feedback! I tested this cake multiple times to ensure there wasn’t a domed top. Great idea with the buttermilk substitute too.