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Both of my daughters typically request yellow birthday cake over chocolate, which consistently leaves me wondering if there was a mix up at birth. Almost every year we have the same conversation where I ask, "What kind of cake do you want for your birthday...chocolate or yellow?" and the answer I get is "yellow." Then I immediately follow up with, "Are you sure? You don't want chocolate???" But no matter how hard I try I can't win them over, although one year I did get my older daughter to agree to a yellow AND chocolate marbled cake, which turned out to be a win-win for everyone. :)
So as promised (on Facebook a couple weeks ago), below is the yellow cupcake/cake recipe we've been using. And while this recipe below (originally from Joy of Cooking) contains sugar and some white flour - both against our real food rules - I recognize this is WAY better than the store bought boxed version that many have relied on for years and that unfortunately contains a lot of unwanted additives (like hydrogenated oils)! And for the homemade frosting I even used all natural beet juice for the pretty pink color you see in the photos. For a less girly look feel free to experiment with small amounts of other colored juices as well (I froze the leftover juice in an ice cube tray since it didn't take much). So for those occasions which are truly special - like birthdays! - we hope you enjoy this homemade treat with your loved ones.
I am admittedly horrible at decorating cakes so here are some links to the supplies that helped me pull these together:
- "Fancy" cupcake holders (I got the pictured ones at Michael's but there are similar cute ones online as well)
- Cake stand (or tall tower for a larger crowd)
- Frosting decorator (pictured below - this thing is a must)
- Non-artificial chocolate sprinkles (optional)
Yellow Cupcakes (better than the box!)
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup cake flour
- 1 cup white whole-wheat flour (King Arthur)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 4 eggs (large, separated)
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 sticks butter (at room temp)
- 1 ¼ cups sugar (+ 1 tablespoon, divided)
Instructions
- Line a cupcake pan with 20 paper liners and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the milk, egg yolks, and vanilla.
- In a large mixing bowl use an electric whisk to beat the butter and 1 ¼ cups sugar together until creamy. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly add both the flour mixture and milk mixture in small batches (and alternating) while the mixer is still going. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Set aside.
- Again using an electric mixer whip the egg whites along with 1 tablespoon sugar until they are light and fluffy and peaks begin to form. Do not overmix because the mixture will become dry. Using a rubber spatula carefully fold the egg whites into the cake batter until it is combined thoroughly (again be careful not to overmix).
- Equally divide the batter into the 20 cupcake liners and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes clean, about 22 to 24 minutes. Let cool completely before adding frosting.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Click for the frosting recipes.
Theresa says
Does the frosting taste like beets? I have made green frosting with spinach and it tasted great...but the next day tasted a little like greens. We ate it anyway!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Theresa. Both Lisa's family and the "tasters" didn't detect a hint of beet. :) ~Amy
Debora says
I made an icing similar to this the other day, but I used strawberry puree instead of beet juice. YUM! (It came out much lighter in color, but oh so tasty.)
Angie says
Another great way to make frosting pink and taste great... strained raspberry puree!!
Kristin says
The strawberries look great on top of the cupcakes. For kids birthdays, I also like to use cupcake rings or picks as an alternative to making cutsy things with artificial colored frosting, candy and sprinkles. I find the colors are just not vibrant enough in naturally colored sugar, frosting and candies or the items simply do not exist replicate pictures I find on the internet. When I think of the cute themed cakes/cupcakes I made for my 3 daughters birthdays before giving up artificial colors, I would have never been able to recreate them using natural colors, sigh. Anyway I found pink ballet slipper cupcake rings at our local cake decorating store for my 6 year-olds ballet themed party this past winter and princess cupcake picks on etsy for my 3 year-olds preschool treat & party. I feel a little guilty about the environmental waste of using picks, but when my daughter's preschool friends all bring in these fancy hypercolored bakery creations, white frosting and sprinkles just won't cut it. I really wish there were more naturally colored decorating options, so I could go back to making fun themed cakes and cupcakes again like my Mom did for my brother and I.
Anita@ Losing Austin says
Yummo! We have a big 1-0 birthday here soon and I can't wait to try them.
Christine says
The recipe looks great and will be our dessert for our Memorial Day gathering and probably also our Father's Day cake! Any ideas on making the frosting a bit more of a "manly" color? (I live in a household filled with boys!)
Happy Birthday! Thank you for all that you do!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Christine. I am just copying you on my reply to this same question above: "Look at the suggestions for egg dye colors. They might inspire you: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/03/30/guest-post-natural-easter-egg-dyes/. Also, here is another recipe for blue I found: http://wholenewmom.com/recipes/natural-blue-food-coloring-dye-just-in-time-for-easter/. Good luck." ~Amy
Robin Jingjit says
As a mom of boys, I can attest that little boys don't mind pink, when it comes to cupcake icing. We always make pink, from freeze dried strawberries. :)
Casey says
10! I like the email updates!
Natalie says
I was both puzzled and amused by you calling them "yellow" cupcakes. In Australia we would call them vanilla cupcakes rather than go by colour!
Kristin says
They are called yellow cupcakes because they use WHOLE eggs and thus are yellow in color, this differentiates them from WHITE cupcakes which use only egg whites and thus are white in color.
Angie says
Sounds wonderful! How do you make the beet juice?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Angie. I think Lisa purchased a bottle of beet juice for this recipe. You can, however, google "how do you make beet juice" and there are several step by step vidoes. :) ~Amy
Stacie Griswold says
These sound yummy! I absolutely love your blog and have found lots of recipes that are in our weekly rotation. Thanks for all the wonderful information:)
Happy Birthday! I turn 36 tomorrow too:)
Krista says
So, not to sound demanding or anything, but my little boy and mother-in-law both like strawberry cake. Is it possible to turn this recipe into a strawberry flavored one? Maybe reduce the liquid and add pureed strawberries? Or does anyone have a different recipe? Thanks!
Kristin says
Try this recipe from Martha Stewart
http://www.marthastewart.com/310430/strawberry-cupcakes
It is featured in her cupcake book book and is AMAZING! It's actually the reason I bought the book. Plus, the recipe features a swiss meringue buttercream frosting base, which is the best white frosting recipe I have ever made!
Incidentally, my go to Yellow Buttermilk Cupcake recipe is featured in this book. Though I can't wait to try the beet juice in the buttercream fossting when I make cupcakes for my daughters' birthdays next week and the week after.
Krista says
Thanks for the tip! If I'm understanding correctly, it looks like the cupcakes would have diced strawberries in them. Do you think I could puree the strawberries? I don't think my boy would like pieces of strawberry in it.
Shallon says
I would guess you could, as you originally said, remove some liquid and replace it with puree. In my opinion fruit puree always tastes watery. My solution has been to simmer it until it starts to thicken; steaming off some of the liquid and concentrating the natural sugars. I would also ommit some of the sugar in the recipe, as concentrated straberry puree will add to the sweetness, and the more sugar in a recipe the easier it will brown.
Christina says
Happy birthday! This post was perfect timing. We're celebrating my stepson's 9th birthday tomorrow and I was going to make cupcakes. I didn't bake the original recipe that I had planned & made this one instead. I dropped the time to 20 minutes to check if they were done. They look a little overdone, but I haven't tasted them yet. And there were some crumbs on the toothpick. I'm not making another batch of cupcakes for tomorrow so these will have to do. I'll be making the icing in the morning. Thanks for the recipe! I'm glad I didn't have to resort to using a box mix!
Christina says
The cupcakes taste great! They were just a little darker than I would have liked. Here's a question: I have boys - what would be good to use to make boy colors for the icing? They definitely wouldn't appreciate pink cupcakes. :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Christina. Look at the suggestions for egg dye colors. They might inspire you: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/03/30/guest-post-natural-easter-egg-dyes/. Also, here is another recipe for blue I found: http://wholenewmom.com/recipes/natural-blue-food-coloring-dye-just-in-time-for-easter/. Good luck. ~Amy
Christina says
Thanks for the suggestions! I like the idea of using the blueberries or blackberries to create the blue. I'm afraid if I tried the red cabbage idea that I'd add too much baking soda and it would taste disgusting.
Elizabeth says
Hey Lisa,
I may not live on your street, but I am a neighbor... So next time you need taste testers we can stop by. :) My super sensory taster kids are the perfect guinea pigs.
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY spring chicken!
Elizabeth says
Hey Lisa,
I may not live on your street, but I am a neighbor... So next time you need taste testers we can stop by. :) My super sensory taster kids are the perfect guinea pigs.
valerie says
Is there a way you can could figure out how many calories this was..?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Valeria. We do not provide nutrition information for our recipes. These posts can help explain: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/29/mini-pledge-week-8-stop-eating-when-you-feel-full/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/. There are many tools available online which can help you calculate those details. Good luck. ~Amy
Vicki B. says
Happy Birthday to you! I just had my 36th birthday last Saturday and my 15yo daughter made a rich chocolate cake with salted caramel icing from scratch for me. We bake just about everything from scratch and my kids love being in the kitchen! I thoroughly enjoy your blog, keep it up!
Heather says
Happy Birthday Weekend!
-Heather
Cynthia says
Thanks for the recipes. I made homemade frosting a few weeks back, with a recipe similar to yours. But instead of beet juice I added pureed strawberries. I pureed fresh strawberries in a small food processor and added a bit at a time to the frosting mixture. I was just experimenting to see how it would turn out. And it turned out pretty good. The frosty had a slight pink tint and it tasted good.
Keely says
Hi there,
Do you happen to have a recipe for chocolate cake???
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Keely. We do! Here ya go: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/05/recipe-whole-wheat-chocolate-cake-with-easy-whipped-cream-frosting/. Enjoy. ~Amy
Laurie says
It is so hard to get a good light and fluffy yellow cake. Was your cake light or a little on the dense side? Did you let your milk and eggs warm up to room temp. before using?
Lisa says
You can have the ingredients at room temp and I bet that would help make it even lighter!
Liz says
Can wait to make these tomorrow. This post was so timely! I literally got online to search for a new yellow cupcake strawberry recipe because the ones I just made from Food Network were a complete FLOP! This look great, I will be making them exactly like your picture for my daughter's 3rd birthday party tomorrow. HAPPY BIRTHDAY and THANK YOU for posting this today! Love your website and recipes!
Megan says
Do you have any cake recipes that are dairy free? I love your blog but struggle with some recipes because I have a dairy intolerance. It's so difficult to find a good cake and frosting recipe without dairy.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Megan. You can substitute coconut oil for the butter and almond or coconut milk for the regular milk and make the cupcakes/cake dairy free. You can also easily find a glaze recipe that does not contain dairy or here is one for a vanilla meringue frosting: http://cakejournal.com/recipes/white-meringue-frosting/ Hope that helps. ~Amy
Laura says
This looks delicious and my daughter's birthday is coming up! I brought in a substitute cupcake for her at school today and she requested strawberry frosting, which I've never made. I used this recipe and it was yummy!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/real-strawberry-frosting/
Christie says
Lisa, do you have any recommendations for good egg substitutes for baking? I am trying to plan for my 10 month old daughter's first birthday cake, and we just found out that she is allergic to eggs, soy & oats-nightmare for my real food baking!
Elle says
Chia seeds can be used as an egg substitute. Soak 1 tablespoon in 3 tablespoons of water for about 5 minutes and it will make a gel-like mixture
Jacklyn says
Try googling "flax eggs". It is just ground flax seed and water mixed together and works wonderfully as an egg substitute in baking but I'm not sure of the flax/water ratio off the top of my head.
Sandy Cooper says
Happy birthday! I've been wanting to try beet juice to color my butter cream frosting. They are always such a pretty shade of pink!
Regarding the survey, I know you didn't ask this, but I am an e-mail subscriber and it would be so nice if you allowed the whole post to show up in the e-mail, instead of having to click onto the website. And then it's even worse if you get to the website and there is only a portion of the feed THERE and you have to click again.
I usually read blogs on my phone when I have a few spare minutes and the ones that I have to click thru, I usually just skip.
It's a little thing, but it would be nice to not have to click and wait for page to load (twice).
Blessings!
Sandy
Melissa says
Ener-G egg replacer is really good too. You can find it online on Amazon or at Whole Foods. I use it for cookies and muffins. Also, applesauce works well for egg replacer if you are needing it for binding instead of leavening. The cake may not rise as much and just be a bit denser.
Deana says
Just making sure- For the 100% whole wheat flour you used regular whole wheat flour not whole wheat pastry flour?
DeAnne says
I don't know which she used, but the pastry flour I buy in bulk is made from SOFT white wheat, which is 100% whole wheat. Regular white wheat flour is from HARD white wheat (also 100% whole wheat). You could probably use either in this recipe. Pastry flour is good for this type of recipe though. You just wouldn't want to use it for making bread because it has a different protein content and wouldn't be strong enough for bread.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Deana. Lisa uses King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour. It is probably similar to what DeAnne uses but is not a pastry flour. ~Amy
Hope says
Oops, I meant to add that even though it's a lot of work, I really enjoy making homemade cakes for my kids. The icing especially always tastes so much better than what's at the store (excluding perhaps only Dr. Oetker brand).
Hope says
How timely! My kids and I just made yellow cupcakes an hour ago for the 3yo's birthday, also tomorrow. Your recipe looks a bit healthier than the one we used, so we'll try it next year. Happy birthday!
Melissa says
Silly question...Where did you buy the cute polka dot napkin in the first picture?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Melissa. Some of Lisa's favorite school lunch supplies, including cloth napkins, can be found here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/08/24/my-favorite-school-lunch-supplies/. ~Amy
Melody Moxley says
Regardig beet juice: I have never looked for it, but found lots of references to beet (or beetroot) juice available--one from Walmart (not that I shop there!). But found directions for making it without a juicer:
aking Beet Juice Without a Juicer
A juicer is helpful when it comes to making all kinds of juices, but it is not essential. There are other ways to create healthy and delicious juice from beets and other vegetables and fruits.
Ingredients and Tools
One to three fresh beets
Blender
Paring knife
Vegetable peeler
1/4 cup water
Instructions
Clean and peel the beets.
Chop the beets as finely as you are able. The finer the job you do, the easier your blender will be able to juice them.
Add the beets to the blender with about 1/4 cup of water.
Blend well.
If the mixture is too thick, add a little more water until it reaches the consistency you desire.
Strain the juice through a piece of cheese cloth to get the pulp and any large pieces of vegetable out.
Hope this helps..I plan to make the cupcakes too.
Erika says
Do you have a similar cupcake recipe for chocolate lovers? My son is turning 4 and he loves chocolate cupcakes. I would like to make homemade cupcakes for him.
Lisa says
Yes - this recipe can be made into cupcakes: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/05/recipe-whole-wheat-chocolate-cake-with-easy-whipped-cream-frosting/
Lori says
Happy Birthday and thanks for the great recipe! I love cake from scratch! My hubby doesn't eat frosting of any kind so I never frost our cakes unless it is a special occasion.
Lydia says
Sounds like the old 1-2-3-4 cake recipe...awesome! But why not try honey instead of the white sugar? I just made a spice pound cake using honey and it was so moist even after 3 days! Yeah we waited 3 days to eat it because our Bee Master had to judge it first. Hardest thing we've done in a long time. lol But it was worth it! ;)
Nicol says
Where can you buy beet juice?
Lisa says
You can honestly get it at any store in a can of cooked beets! But I bought beet juice (to drink) at either Earth Fare or Trader Joe's (sorry I don't remember)!
Michelle says
Looks great, but it is your birthday-you should have hubby make your cake while you sit and relax
Lisa says
I am hoping either my husband or my daughters (with his help) will make me a chocolate cake with this frosting recipe...that would be the perfect combo for me! But I enjoy baking so as long as we get cake that is all that matters :)
Tawny says
10
Marnie says
Growing up my mom would use strawberry juice in whip cream to make it light pink and use that to "ice" our cakes. A little less sugar and very yummy.
Hannah says
Thank you so much for this! I've been looking for a homemade yellow cake box style recipe. Now I can make cupcakes! Yum! This goes against my dieting rules though---trying to avoid sugar!
Maxine says
Two questions: does the beet juice give a hint of beet taste? and
can you use the cupcake recipe for a cake also? (dumb question, I know)
Lisa says
Maxine - You can most definitely bake a cake with this recipe and we did not taste the beet juice at all. I also got a couple neighbors to try the cupcakes and they didn't say a word about the beet juice (I didn't even mention it was in there!).