Ho Ho Yellow Cake (Printable)

Delicate yellow cake with vanilla cream filling, finished with rich chocolate ganache for a classic treat.

# What You 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

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
02 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
03 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla extract.
04 - Alternate adding the flour mixture and whole milk to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
05 - Pour batter into the prepared pan, smooth the surface, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
06 - Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
07 - Beat softened butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Separately, whip heavy cream with vanilla extract and salt to stiff peaks, then fold gently into the butter mixture until fluffy.
08 - Carefully remove the cooled cake from the pan and slice horizontally into two even layers using a serrated knife.
09 - Spread the cream filling evenly over the bottom layer, then place the top layer on top.
10 - Heat heavy cream and butter in a small saucepan until just simmering. Pour over 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 chocolate ganache cracks satisfyingly under your fork while the cream filling stays impossibly soft underneath.
  • It looks showstopping but doesn't demand fussy techniques or ingredients you can't find at any grocery store.
  • One cake feeds a crowd and tastes even better the next day when flavors settle together.
02 -
  • Cold cake is easier to frost—if you try to layer or frost it warm, the cake crumbles and the cream slides around, so resist the urge to rush this step even when you're excited.
  • Whip the cream in a chilled bowl because room-temperature bowls cause the cream to break into butter before it reaches stiff peaks, which I learned the frustrating way.
  • The ganache hardens as it cools, so if yours becomes too thick to spread smoothly, gently warm it in a double boiler for 30 seconds and try again.
03 -
  • Room-temperature ingredients blend together more smoothly, so pull everything out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start, which prevents the batter from looking broken or curdled.
  • A bench scraper or offset spatula works better for spreading the filling and ganache than a regular knife, which drags and tears the layers.
  • If the ganache sets too hard before you've finished spreading it, let it sit at room temperature for five minutes instead of reheating, which keeps the temperature stable.
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