Photo of Basic yellow cake by WW

Basic yellow cake

8
Points®
Total Time
50 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
30 min
Serves
16
Difficulty
Easy
Every baker needs a moist yellow cake recipe in their recipe box—the kind you can enlist into service for birthdays, showers, and other special occasions. This recipe may be embellished in innumerable creative ways. Frost it. Layer it. Drizzle it. Cube it for a trifle layered with fruit and nonfat whipped topping. Toast it to enjoy like poundcake or just enjoy it plain, dunked in a cup of tea or black coffee. For easy removal from the cake pan, be sure to line the pan with parchment paper that drapes over the sides, so you can easily lift the cake from the pan after the cake has cooled completely.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 spray(s)

All-purpose flour

2 cup(s)

Baking powder

1 tsp

Baking soda

½ tsp

Table salt

½ tsp

Egg

2 large egg(s), beaten

Sugar

9 Tbsp

Vanilla extract

2 tsp

Almond extract

½ tsp

Unsweetened applesauce

¼ Tbsp

Reduced fat sour cream

½ cup(s)

Unsalted butter

½ cup(s), melted

Fat free skim milk

1 cup(s)

Unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp, powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 11- X 7 1/2-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip eggs with sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, applesauce, sour cream and melted butter; beat until well-combined.
  4. Pour 1/4 of flour mixture into egg mixture, alternating with 1/4 cup milk; combine well but do not over beat. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and milk, beating slowly, until batter is smooth.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely, dust with cocoa powder and cut into 16 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.