Ho Ho Yellow Cake Vanilla (Printable)

Nostalgic yellow cake with fluffy vanilla cream filling and smooth chocolate ganache topping.

# What You'll Need:

→ Yellow Sheet Cake

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
07 - 3 large eggs
08 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
09 - 1 cup whole milk

→ Cream Filling

10 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
11 - 1 cup powdered sugar
12 - 1 cup heavy cream, cold
13 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 - 1/8 teaspoon salt

→ Chocolate Ganache

15 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
16 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
17 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan, then line with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
03 - In a large bowl, beat unsalted butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition, then incorporate vanilla extract.
04 - Alternately add dry ingredients and whole milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
05 - Pour batter into prepared pan, smooth the surface, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
06 - Let the cake cool completely in the pan placed on a wire rack.
07 - Beat unsalted butter and powdered sugar until smooth. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream with vanilla and salt to stiff peaks. Gently fold whipped cream into the butter mixture until fluffy.
08 - Remove cooled cake from pan and carefully slice horizontally into two equal layers using a serrated knife.
09 - Spread the cream filling evenly over the bottom layer and then place the top layer on.
10 - Heat heavy cream and unsalted butter in a saucepan until just simmering. Pour over semi-sweet chocolate chips in a bowl, let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy.
11 - Pour ganache over the assembled cake and spread evenly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set before slicing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cake stays impossibly moist while staying light enough to slice cleanly into two perfect layers.
  • That cream filling is airy and rich at the same time, striking a balance most bakery versions miss.
  • The entire thing comes together in an afternoon, and it looks fancy enough to fool anyone into thinking you spent hours on it.
02 -
  • Slicing the cake horizontally is the moment most home bakers tense up—use a serrated knife, keep it level, and cut slowly; rushing this is how you end up with crumbles instead of layers.
  • The whipped cream filling must be folded gently into the butter mixture or you'll deflate all that airy structure you just built, and you'll end up with a dense, heavy filling instead of something fluffy.
  • Cold heavy cream is essential for the ganache to set properly; if your cream is even slightly warm, the ganache will stay pourable and never firm up enough to slice cleanly.
03 -
  • Measure your flour by weight if you can; scooping straight from the bag can pack flour and throw off your ratio, resulting in a drier cake.
  • If your kitchen is warm, chill the filled cake before applying ganache so the ganache sets cleanly rather than sliding around on warm filling.
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