Self-Rising Yellow Cake
This cake is moist, tender, and delicious, ideal for a special birthday. Self-rising flour simplifies the process.
Prep
15 mins
Bake
30 to 35 mins
Total
1 hr 45 mins
Instructions
Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8" or two 9" round cake pans. For extra protection against sticking, line the bottom of the pans with parchment rounds.
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Beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla extract (or fruit zest) and almond extract into a smooth paste. The sugar will stay granular.
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Add the eggs one at a time, beating at medium speed just until they're incorporated, and scraping the bottom of the bowl after each addition.
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Add the flour alternately with the milk, mixing at medium-low speed and beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape the bowl a few times during this process. Don't worry if the batter separates a bit when adding the milk; add the last bit of flour and then mix briefly, just until smooth.
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Divide the batter between the pans. Cakes will self-level in the oven, so there's no need to smooth the top with a spatula. However, it does help to remove any large bubbles by banging the cake pans firmly on the counter 7 or 8 times.
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Bake the cakes for 30 to 35 minutes, until evenly browned and a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven, and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. (This cake is very tender, so be sure to include this brief rest in the pan.) Run a spatula around the edges to loosen, and turn out onto a rack to cool completely before frosting.
Tips from our Bakers
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You might recognize this as a variation of a treasured old recipe that's been around for years: the 1,2,3,4 cake (1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs). Because our King Arthur Unbleached Self-Rising Flour is so soft, we increased the amount of flour a bit so the cake would hold together; we think of it as a softer version of an old friend.
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If you're used to using cake strips, don't use them here; they'll delay the cake setting, and it'll fall.
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Don't have self-rising flour? Try our recipe for Golden Vanilla Cake using all-purpose flour.
