I've studied the yellow cake scratch-off thread, took notes even, I've tried several recipes from it, from major cookbooks like Toba and Whimsical Bakehouse. I've yet to find one that seems "perfect". Am I expecting too much from a yellow/white cake?? I'd love to avoid folding in beaten egg whites. But if that's what "makes" it, I'll do it. But every cake seems sort of dense. Or crumbly. Or too buttery. They might taste good.... ok, some were a little dry, but that may have been because I didn't use any kind of heating core/nail. But can't seem to find one that just works for me.

I have to make a bunch of cakes for a wedding - in less than two weeks. I'm starting to panic. I'm not a professional, just a crazy friend. I have the main show cake recipe down - they wanted my hershey's chocolate cake with peanut butter filling. Just the simple hershey's cake. (Although I have to worry about the bulging sides, finishing the frosting perfectly, and the stacking part - have sps to help with that though). At least that recipe is simple and "perfect". But why can't I find the right yellow cake? Am I expecting too much? (I'm doing the show cake chocolate & tiered, with several 9x13 sheet cakes that will be cut up in the back - not shown, so they will all be different since not everyone will want peanut butter). Why can't there be a yellow cake that turns out as perfectly and easily as the hershey's cake?? How can I do this - I have less than two weeks and I don't even have all my recipes nailed down yet?!?!

Did you give the Confetti Cakes recipe a try? I haven't tried it yet but a lot of people like it. It's not yellow per se, but the only thing that makes it yellow is the yolks.

http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/659327-Vanilla-Cake-a-la-Confetti-Cakes

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-715210.html

Here's more:

http://www.cookiemadness.net/2010/04/cooks-illustrated-fluffy-yellow-cake-best-yet/

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/best-birthday-cake/

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Moist-Yellow-Cake-109358

http://www.joyofbaking.com/YellowButterCake.html (JOB recipes are usually pretty good)

Thanks so much Annie - I will study those! And I haven't tried the confetti cake recipe yet, but I'll print them all off, read and compare and bake some more!

I just decided that I will only do one of the kitchen cakes as a yellow/white. So that only makes for one recipe to worry about. (Bride doesn't care what I do) And that recipe will be for a strawberry filled white frosting cake.

The other two sheet cakes will be carrot cake (have a phenomenal recipe that already has a following!) and another chocolate cake with a cookies & cream filling. So just need that strawberry filled yellow/white cake recipe to be nailed down.

This one...

http://fromscratchsf.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/white-cake-part-3-with-recipe/

Trust me. Make with all egg yolks. Use vanilla bean paste. I've done all the researching and experimenting and gaining waaay too much weight in the process. While there is one (Rebecca Rather's WOW cake) that rivals this one for flavor, I've had much better luck with this recipe turning out great time and time again. And that's with an oven that will often swing 75 degrees while baking.

FromScratchSF is on this site and is very helpful. Also, if you send her a question on her blog, she answers crazy fast.

Thanks Vicki! I just printed it out - to add to my stack. I've looked at her site before, but haven't tried this one yet. Funny though, when I've read reviews on yellow cakes, I keep seeing a recurring theme - many others have trouble with yellow cakes. That made me feel a tad better - but I still want to find the "one" that works for me!

My absolute favorite yellow cake is Shirley Corriher's Magnificent Moist Golden Cake from her book Bakewise.

http://theshoeboxkitchen.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/something-not-as-simple-golden-cake-with-buttercream-icing/

I think that the chiffon method is a huge key to success for scratch white/yellow cakes. It instantly imparts a ton of airiness.