Everyone can use a 6-inch cake recipe in their life. Maybe you need your own personal cake every once in a while (because really, who doesn’t?). Bad day? Problem solved! Or maybe you’d like to bake up a homemade smash cake for your soon-to-be one-year-old’s birthday party. Mom win, right here.
Perhaps you’re looking for the perfect small yellow cake for an anniversary, dinner party or any other special occasion. Wallah! This 6-inch yellow cake recipe is our favorite small cake recipe from scratch. It’s all the things a cake should be.
Our 6-inch cake recipe is a yellow cake, an all-butter cake that is tender and delicate. For some reason, miniature desserts are always incredibly appealing. Is it because they’re more guilt-free? I guess I am less likely to over-indulge when there is no more cake to be consumed… But I promise, this cake will leave your sweet tooth satisfied without the guilt.
You might be wondering, how many does a 6-inch cake serve?
This 6-inch layer cake will leave you with six hearty slices or eight smaller slices- the perfect amount for a small dinner party or special occasion. You could even place it in a cake box for a beautiful, tasty gift.
How to make a 6-inch cake
For this 6-inch cake recipe, you will need:
- two 6-inch cake pans
- cake flour
- baking powder
- butter
- sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract
We made this 6-inch layer cake with our Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream and a simple, vanilla cake filling but yellow cake with chocolate frosting is always a delicious combination too.
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare two 6-inch cake pans by greasing and flouring them and lining the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.
Step 2
Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside for later.
- Now about that cake flour… What is the difference between cake flour and all-purpose flour? Cake flour is more finely ground, is softer than all-purpose flour, and has a lower protein content which means less gluten. Overall, it will leave you with a cake that is tender, delicate, and light.
Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed in a large mixing bowl. Continue beating the mixture until it’s light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until it’s well-combined.
Step 3
Pour half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix together on low speed. Add the milk and mix until it is just blended. Add the second half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until it is well combined but be careful to not over-mix the batter.
Step 4
Divide the batter between the two 6-inch cake pans. How long do you cook a 6-inch cake? Bake for 18 to 22 minutes (you’ll know when it’s ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out with just a few crumbs).
After taking the cakes out of the oven, let them cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes and then invert them onto a cooling rack. Removing the cakes too soon- without allowing ample cooling time- will increase your chances of the cakes cracking.
Step 5
Prepare your frosting and allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting them. Baker’s trick: Stick the cakes in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to speed up the cooling time. Plus, they will frost easier!
I love knowing that I can make a small cake from scratch in just five simple steps!
Now prepare yourself to make this yellow layer cake often because the only downside with a 6-inch cake is there will ALWAYS be requests for another. But that’s not really a downside, right? 😉
Some Other Recipes You Will Love:
- If you haven’t tried this Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting, please do so immediately. It’s a simple, special occasion cake that I promise you will keep on standby.
- This How-To for making your own Barbie Cake will leave you trying to come up with valid reasons to make this soon, it’s just that much fun. And if you have a Barbie-obsessed child in your life, even better!
- Our Gluten-Free Chocolate Bundt Cake is rich, decadent and a gluten and dairy-free delight! Treat yourself with this one.
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6-inch Cake Recipe (Yellow Cake)
Ingredients
- 1-½ cups sifted cake flour 150 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- ¾ cup sugar 150 grams
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk 120 grams
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 6-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed for about 4 to 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat well.
- Pour ½ of the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix it on low speed only until incorporated. Next add the milk and mix until it is just blended.
- Add the other ½ of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until it it is blended. Do not over-mix.
- Divide the batter between the two cake pans. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting them onto a cooling rack. If you remove the cakes while they are piping hot, they are more likely to crack.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting them. If you stick them in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes they will be even easier to frost.
Courtney Smobeck
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
Hi directions sat "sifted flour" so do you sift and measure flour and THEN sift flour, baking powder and salt? Thanks!
Courtney Smobeck
Saturday 12th of December 2020
@Dahn Boquist, Perfect! Thank you!! I'll report back on results after baking.
Dahn Boquist
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
Sift the flour before you measure it then sift all the dry ingredients together. Thanks for your questions