Joy the Baker

Everybody’s Birthday Cake

by 128 Comments

Happy Birthday to you, and you, and you over there, and your brother, and your brother’s son, and your sister’s cousin.  And your neighbor that just turned 30.  And your favorite blogger who turns 35 (huh!?) this year (that’s me).  And your fiancé, Happy Birthday to that human, too.  

I made us a go-to, vanilla buttermilk cake with the very best chocolate buttercream frosting.  (Proof that it’s the best chocolate buttercream provided here).  We’ve got 360 days and likely a mega amount of birthdays to celebrate with friends and family.  

This cake is super versatile.  It makes for a happy and humble single layer 9×13-inch cake, or a 2 layer 9-inch cake, or about 2 dozen cupcakes!  

There are three secrets to a great birthday cake:  

  1.  Make it homemade.  Not fancy-homemade.  Just homemade.  A single layer buttermilk cake in a glass baking dish?  That’s lovely.    
  2. Sprinkles.  It’s a party.  Even if people ‘hate’ their birthdays, they don’t hate cake and they don’t hate sprinkles.  If they do… just get them a kitten and a puppy and throw confetti in the air and run away quickly.  
  3. Always serve birthday cake with a greeting card. ‘I’m not a card person’ is a thing people say but a birthday is not a birthday without a proper, folded paper well-wishing. 

Happy Birthday to you and yours, us and ours, them and theirs.  

Simple, fool-proof (not that any of us are fools), buttermilk cake.  Flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Butter creamed with sugar and eggs.  Vanilla extract and buttermilk.  It’s so easy.  If you put on some really good music, this is as painless and far more delicious than mixing together a boxed cake mix.  

Fluffy butter creamed with sugar.  

Eggs are added, beating for 1 minute between each egg addition.  

The creamy yolks will make the cake golden yellow.  

Dry ingredients whisked with leavening and salt is added to the egg and butter mixture.  

It’s about to be cake! 

Into the cake pans.  A single layer 9×13-inch sheet cake or two round cake pans will do!  

Baked to golden.

While the cake bakes, I make The Best Chocolate Buttercream.  It’s creamy and fluffy and exactly what you want on top of a birthday treat.  

Cooled, tender cake.  Fluffy chocolate frosting.  Birthday letters.  Sprinkles.  You’re so thoughtful.  I hope people tell you that often. 

You’ve done it – a perfectly perfect birthday cake

Top withRainbow birthday candles and a festive sprinkle blend and it’s a very happy birthday indeed!

Print

Everybody’s Birthday Cake

★★★★★

4.8 from 5 reviews

A perfectly classic yellow birthday cake with creamy chocolate buttercream frosting.  Makes 1 9×13-inch sheet cake or 2 9-inch layers, or about 24 cupcakes. For a layer cakes and generously frosted cupcakes – double the frosting recipe below. 

  • Author: Joy the Baker
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 1 1x

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the Chocolate Buttercream

  • (double the frosting recipe for a layer cake of generously frosted cupcakes)
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup Rich Chocolate Ovaltine powder

Instructions

  1. To make the cake, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch cake pan or 2 9-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (you can also use a large bowl and electric hand beaters) cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Stop the mixer and and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
  4. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients all at once to the butter and egg mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add the buttermilk and beat on low for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes more.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan or pans. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until cooked through and the top springs back lightly when touch. Test the cake by inserted a skewer into the center of the cake. Cake is done when just a few crumbs are left on the skewer.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan completely before frosting. If making a layered round cake, remove the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely. Let cool completely before frosting.
  7. To make the frosting, cream together butter, cocoa powder and salt. Butter mixture will be very thick. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  8. Add powdered sugar. Turn mixer on low and mix in powdered sugar while adding milk and vanilla extract. As the sugar incorporates, raise the speed of the mixer to beat the frosting. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
  9. In a 2 cup measuring glass, stir together heavy cream and Ovaltine. Turn mixer speed to medium and pour half of the cream mixture into frosting in a slow, steady stream. Stop the mister scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add remaining cream mixture or until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Beat until soft and creamy, about 1 minute.
  10. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Bring to room temperature before frosting cakes and cupcakes.
  11. Slather cake generously with frosting. Decorate and sing happy birthday!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hannah

    This frosting is amaaaaazing. My partner doesn’t love chocolate and he couldn’t stop eating it. I halved the amount of sugar (I just added it to taste) and it was perfect. Thanks for another awesome recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  2. Diane

    Hi Joy
    Everybody loved Everybody’s Birthday Cake!
    I added a thin layer of raspberry jam to a smaller amount of frosting between the cake layers.
    The single frosting recipe was the right amount for complete cake coverage.
    BTW: A couple of typos in the instructions of steps 3 (and and) & 9 (mister) but no big deal in terms of baking and enjoying a fantastic birthday cake!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  3. Lisa

    Haven’t yet tasted the cake, but wondering if 3 minutes mixing on medium was way too long.
    I don’t know much about baking, but this was very curious to me as it really seemed I was beating the batter to death. And sure enough, my cakes were maybe 3/4″ of an inch high. Someone in the comments also mentioned about the butter to sugar ratio seeming off, wondering if that also had something to do with my flat cakes, keeping it from fully creaming and being more sand consistency. I have no idea. This recipe is successful for a lot of people. What did I do wrong if followed the recipe exactly?

    Reply

    • joythebaker

      Hhmmm Lisa… I’m so sorry to hear you struggled with this cake! That’s super frustrating I know. I don’t think the mixing time was off. You really do want to beat the eggs in well to help aerate the batter. Will check on the sugar now but please feel free to email me with any further problems. joy@joythebaker.com

      Reply

  5. Kathryn

    People ask me why I would bake a cake on my birthday with the undertone of “shouldn’t someone be making cake for you?”

    No. Know why?

    Because this cake screams birthday cake, is always perfect and is delicious at any age.

    Reply

  6. Sara

    It’s been a difficult week, and I just finished making this cake for a friend. Thank you, Joy, for bringing joy into the hard days with sweet recipes.

    Reply

  7. Elizabeth

    I made this cake last weekend for my friend’s birthday! I totally agree about the frosting—it is sooo delicious. Sweet but not cloyingly so, with great layers of flavor from the Ovaltine. I will definitely use it for all my chocolate frosting needs. However, the cake was a little tough and flavorless. I was surprised that the cake recipe had so much mixing towards the end after the buttermilk is added. 3 minutes on medium just seems like to much beating, and I’m worried that the gluten was activated too much and resulted in a tough cake. The raw batter tasted delicious, but I didn’t taste as much flavor after it was baked. The frosting is so good that it almost doesn’t matter, but I just expected a more flavorful cake. Regardless, I love your work, Joy!

    ★★★★

    Reply

  11. Heather

    I just came to get the recipe to make this for my 2-year-old’s birthday (I made it last year for his first birthday, too), but now the recipe is gone? What happened???

    Reply

  12. Stephanie

    I’m excited to try this cake for a birthday party next weekend, especially after reading all the comments. If I do the layered cake in two pans, do I bake for the same length of time? Also, would replacing the ovaltine with instant coffee be a bad idea? Thank you!

    Reply

  13. Ann

    I just pulled my first attempt at this cake out of the oven. It’ll be a birthday cake for my mom tomorrow – I’m very excited! I did notice, though, that the 1 stick of butter definitely did not “cream” with the 1 1/2 cups sugar while making the cake. The resulting mixture was more sugar than the butter could absorb and be creamy – it was a heavier mixture, even after 5 mintues. However, everything got much creamier and lighter once I started adding the eggs. Has anybody else had this experience?

    Reply

  14. Ankita

    Eating this cake, is like devouring a cloud! Thank you so much for sharing this simple, and beautiful recipe!

    Reply

  15. Katterfox

    I use a different frosting, but this cake recipe is awesome. Two years in a row now, I have made it for my boyfriend’s birthday. It’s definitely tradition now.

    Reply

  16. Rachel

    Made it this past weekend – very successful, and it’ll definitely be the go-to recipe for my yellow cake & chocolate frosting-loving boyfriend in the future!

    One note – I opted not to mix the yellow cake for the three minutes at the end because it’s always been drilled into me not to overmix cake batter and make too much gluten. My cake was pretty light and airy – maybe moreso than a traditional yellow cake mix – but in a very pleasant way. Is there a reason that step is recommended? Should I try it next time?

    Also, I totally screwed up the order of things in the frosting (I may or may not have been looking at the directions for the cake instead…) so I ended up creaming the sugar, vanilla, cocoa, and butter all as one step. Luckily, it seemed to turn out just fine- rich, smooth, airy, and didn’t break. Phew! Love the idea of adding ovaltine; I thought it added a pleasant almost-saltiness that kept it plenty chocolatey without being overwhelming.

    Finally, a request…I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but it’d be great to have weights included for the recipe :). I’m American too but I still prefer baking by weight because, well, I’ll do anything I can to avoid extra dishes.

    Reply

  17. Lea

    Made this for my friend’s birthday dinner last night & everybody was thrilled because it’s exactly what the heart wants for a birthday cake. It was also very similar to the Georgetown Cupcake milk chocolate birthday cupcake, which is my favorite. I will be using this recipe forever and always.

    Reply

  19. Natalie

    Hi Joy! Love your cakes and excited to make this one for a friend’s birthday next week! wondered if you’d ever tried to sub gluten-free all purpose baking flour? I usually use Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour (http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-all-purpose-baking-flour.html). A couple of friends attending the party are gluten-free and I always try to ensure they can eat as much of what I make as possible :) let me know if you think making this change will throw off the consistency or anything!

    Reply

    • joythebaker

      I think this cake would translate well gluten-free! I’ve never made this cake with Bob’s Red Mill, I would just make sure that it also has xanthan gum in the mixture. I’ve honestly found the most success in flour-swap baking using the gluten-free flour blend Cup 4 Cup. It’s a bit more expensive but it really is such a great flour for a swap. Keeps things light and fluffy! Best of luck and happy baking!

      Reply

  20. Lyrica LaBelle

    This turned out fantastic! I made it for my daughter’s 7th birthday, and then I went into labor with our 3rd baby, so I hid the leftover cake in the back of the fridge. When we came home from the hospital the next day with our new little boy it was my birthday (why were we all born in the same week!?!) so I claimed the remaining portion for myself. :) Perfect way to celebrate – it tastes amazing and will probably always hold an extra special place in my heart. Ha!

    Reply

  21. Leslie Wilson

    Hi Joy! I was just on the verge of buying a cake for a friend’s birthday but you saved the day with the throwback to this post. Question, do you think it’s possible to make this a day ahead of time for a birthday brunch (the following day). If so, how would you store it? Thank you so much!!

    Reply

  23. Jillian Rea

    This is the best birthday cake recipe I have ever made! I am now asked by every family member to make this cake for their birthday! Thank you Joy for your amazing blog and recipes!

    Reply

  24. BakerMomChef

    Hi Joy, I am in love with this recipe and use it as a go-to whenever I need a cake in a hurry (which happens to be often!). Quick question for you, if I wanted to make a double batch, would I simply double the ingredients? When I calculate the amounts the butter/sugar/flour ratio seems a bit much. Any advice would be appreciated!

    Thanks so much for posting!

    Reply

  25. Lizy

    Ok….THIS chocolate frosting is straight CRACK!!!!! it is so yummy!!!!! the entire recipe is ridiculously finger licking delicious, but I’m telling you that the icing on the cake IS in fact what makes this easy vanilla cake so scrumptious. Although I think that the three glasses of wine that I drank while making this cake did in fact make my taste buds a bit more “aive” LOL!!!! either way, this cake is a MUST try and I will keep in my recipe book. Thank you JTB!!!!!! you are the BOMB!!!!!

    Reply

  26. Christina

    I made a practice cake for my baby girl’s first birthday and it was soo delicious! Since I’ll have extra guests, I wanted to make cupcake versions too. Can you tell me how many it will make and how long to put it in the oven for?

    Reply

  27. Stefanie

    I am going to make this for a birthday! You mentioned storing frosting in the fridge…. Once cake is frosted and finished, does it need to be stored in fridge?

    Reply

  28. sophierammy

    thank you for this !! for the past 3 years for my fiance’s birthday i’ve made him either the big berry cake OR a variation of berry/ice cream cake you’ve posted. this year i’m switching it up and using this cake base for your double layer berry cake. SO EXCITE. many thanks :D :D <3

    Reply

  30. Theresa Crecelius

    I am making this for my birthday today (32!), but in cupcake form. Planning a chocolate ganache frosting. How long do you think I should bake the cupcakes? I am starting at 18 minutes. Thanks for the recipes! I have been reading your blog for a few years.

    Reply

  31. Angela

    question about quantity of frosting: is one batch of frosting enough for 9×13 and to get the look in the pics above? Or should I double? trying it out tonight!

    Reply

  33. Aku

    Made this, along with a chocolate cake, for a party with friends who share the same birthday weekend! I put the yellow cake batter in a 9″x9″ pan because I wanted a thicker cake; it took ~12 minutes longer to bake through in the center, though, so I’ll stick with the 9″x13″ next time. We doubled the buttercream recipe and put it on both cakes. Drake lyrics on one, Katy Perry lyrics on the other. Sprinkles all around. It was DREAMY–the yellow cake was plush and vanilla-y. Thanks for the inspiration and the great recipes, Joy!

    Reply

    • Kayleigh Rosien

      I made this cake for my husbands birthday and now my daughter is requesting it for hers! I have a question though, I want to make it three layer and have a surprise in the center, with candy and stuff. Would I be able to just make the recipe as written but use three 8” cake pans instead of two 9”?

      Reply

  34. Luna

    I made this cake twice:-) Once to practice to make sure I could do it, then once for my baby twins’ first birthday. It’s simple and delicious:) Thank you!

    Reply

  35. Katherine Park

    My soon-to-be 6 year-old really wants a Funfetti cake with chocolate frosting for her birthday. Do you think I could add a 1/2 cup or so of jimmy sprinkles to your recipe (without changing anything else) and get an OK result? I’m going to attempt both this cake and your chocolate buttercream recipe for her party – thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    • joythebaker

      I think you could make this into a funfetti cake. you may not even need a full 1/2 cup. and I’d add the sprinkles just before you spoon the batter into the pan to bake.

      Reply

  37. Gwen Watson

    This colorful birthday cake can really make you feel special. It’s also nostalgic because it makes us remember the sheet cakes from our childhood. This one has a rich chocolate frosting, which is one of my favorites.

    Reply

  38. Rachel

    I love your blog and have made some great stuff from it. I followed each step for this cake just now to every detail. When I put the batter in the pan, I knew something was off because some of the mix from the bottom was a little darker yellow. I mixed it together and put it in the oven. After 30 min, most of the cake was cooked, but some of the middle on the top was still raw. I tried putting it in for longer, but it didn’t help and it was going to burn any minute. Any idea what you think happened? The party is tomorrow and if I can muster the emotional energy (I take messing up cooking embarrassingly hard), what do you recommend I do differently? Thank you Joy!

    Reply

    • joythebaker

      Sounds like it wasn’t mixed well enough or maybe you didn’t scrape the bowl completely. Good luck if you try again, and don’t be so hard on yourself we all make mistakes in the kitchen :)

      Reply

  39. Evanthia

    I ‘m just thinking of making this cake this Saturday… for no reason at all! Just because I’d like to taste it! Thank you!

    Reply

  40. Lili

    I made these for my daughters 1st birthday. No party, just our little family, but I felt so accomplished! The cake is simple with a nice texture and is an excellent vehicle for the star of the show: the buttercream. Holy crap it’s good. Baby girl and older brother loved it so much! Thank you for the recipes!

    Reply

  42. Winxy Pistol

    I just made this cake today for my birthday. The only thing I did differently was subbing in a scraped vanilla bean for the vanilla…otherwise I followed your directions for the cake and chocolate frosting to the letter. AMAZING. I make my own birthday cake every year and this is, by far, the very best cake and frosting I’ve ever made. My partner usually scrapes all the frosting off his cake….previously, I would have said he “always” scrapes off the frosting, but your cake was the first one he devoured frosting and all, so I can’t say “always” anymore! :) Thank you for a wonderful recipe….I will make it whenever I need good cake! Love your blog, I am new to it and catching up quickly! :)

    Reply

  43. Eliza

    Sometimes, if I don’t have buttermilk for something, I can use soured milk (using lemon or vinegar…). Do you think this is one of those times, or might it not work out…?

    Reply

  49. Amanda

    Now I know what cake I will make my 7 mo this summer for his smash cake! I made this for a work meeting and it was a HIT!

    I used 1 c Greek yogurt + 1/4 c milk in place of the buttermilk. Did I just get lucky that it didn’t affect the crumb, or is this universally okay? I seem to remember that the acidity of buttermilk, yogurt and sour cream are very similar ..

    Anywho, thanks for a great item to have in my baking arsenal. I love that I can dress it up with pearls (two round cake pans) to be fancy or a comfy pair of jeans (Pyrex 8×24) to be casual. And it will always be yummy!

    Joy – you’re awesome!! :)

    Reply

  52. F.E.E.D.

    This looks so yum! Proof that cakes and celebrations can be simple yet memorable. Will definitely use this as my new go-to buttermilk cake recipe, thanks Joy! Great post!

    Reply

  53. Naomi

    Love this cake! Finished off my second helping. The center took longer to set and then I over did it. The frosting makes this amazing, even if the cake is crumbly. Yay – thanks!

    Reply

  54. Kathryn

    One great thing about turning 35 is that you can finally run for president, if you wanted! I’m turning 35 as well and plan on have a presidential themed bday. (With that bomb cake you posted, naturally.)

    Reply

  66. mominasalim

    So Simple yet festive! The recipe is very versatile too! I make a version of this for my mom for her birthday every year. Just sub the chocolate with a berry frosting!

    Reply

  68. horneymomtellsall

    Nothing makes me feel quite so motherly as baking their birthday cakes the night before their day. Our little Sam guy turns two tomorrow, I can hardly believe it! So I doubled the cake recipe to make an epic layer cake and impress him and his 3 year old sister :) Thanks for the tasty recipe, Joy! I’ll tag you in an insta picture of it, ha ha!

    Reply

  69. Laura Harreld

    Yesterday was my husband’s birthday – and this cake was PERFECT. So moist, and that Ovaltine frosting? To die for. Thank you!!

    Reply

  72. Kristin P

    That is definitely the best chocolate buttercream frosting, I have made it many times and it worth buying a container of Ovaltine for!

    Reply

  76. Libby

    Thank you for not forcing us to make the world’s fanciest, most hoity toity birthday cake. Sometimes we just need permission to keep this shit simple.
    PS I’m in love with Drake on Cake.

    Reply

  79. Heather Nadine

    Happy birthday to me and you Joy! A birthday cake email for my 32nd birthday, what a neat surprise. I’ll bake this cake for us both but I guess I’ll have to eat it for both of us too.

    Reply

  81. Amanda

    It’s my bday today too! I alreadt bought myself an ice cream cake because no one will bake me a cake andI felt kinda lazy (and I love ice cream cakes!), but now I want to try this too!

    Reply

  85. April

    Totally just made this on my lunch break. It smells amazing in my little apartment now. Can’t wait for dessert! (And I probably won’t ????)

    Reply

  86. Karen

    This cake looks like it could be an everyday cake as well as a Birthday cake. Since I have no birthdays’ in my immediate future. I will make it tomorrow and enjoy it like it is a birthday. We really should celebrate each day and this cake will do the trick!

    Reply

  88. dessertfortwo

    I think I need this cake simply because it’s Tuesday. No birthdays in sight, but I always need cake <3

    Happy New Year, friend! xo

    Reply

  90. valerie

    Is it possible to sub the “ovaltine” for something, I’m not sure that is something I’d buy or use again.

    Reply

    • MaggieToo

      Valerie, trust me — you WILL use that Ovaltine again after you taste this frosting. I’ve been making it almost to the exclusion of all other chocolate frostings since I met it here a while back. And I make a LOT of cakes. The Ovaltine isn’t expensive, and it keeps forever. It’s just amazing what a difference it makes in the flavor. Do try it!

      Reply

  92. Kate B

    Hi, Joy! Long time reader, love your writing and recipes! I have so many saved that I return to over and over (favorite is your peanut butter banana bread).

    I’ve noticed the last few posts that I have to click from my reader (Feedly) over to your site to read them. Unfortunately, I browse most blogs on my phone and your site isn’t great for my browser on Android. Your posts look excellent on Feedly, easy to read, pictures sized well, but the experience is not ideal if I click over.

    I don’t mean to complain and I’ll continue to read regardless, because your work is delightful, even when you’re giving me a recipe for something I would never eat (I’m a vegetarian, but read all your stuff through!), but I thought it was possible you’d accidentally changed a setting and didn’t realize it, or maybe did it on purpose but weren’t aware that your site doesn’t look great on all phones, so I thought I’d speak up.

    Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with us! Wishing you much love in the new year!

    Reply

    • joythebaker

      Thanks for the comment Kate! When I updated my site last week, something went wonky with my RSS feed. I’m working to fix it! Thanks for the heads up and understanding.

      Reply

      • Kate B

        Oh, good, I’m so pleased! I fully understand the internet gremlins getting into the works and I wasn’t sure if it was something you’d done intentionally or a glitch. I hope I haven’t been the, like, 57th person to point it out to you! Thanks for understanding that it’s easier for some of us to access from RSS, even though I know it probably affects your metrics and any ads you might have running. I read everything you put up and I don’t mean to shortcut the backend of your site/business stuff! Continue the excellent work, friend!

        Reply

  93. Tori

    Happy New Year Joy! This is such a great way to start the year, preparing everyone with the tools to make everyone’s birthday of this year awesome! You da bomb! I can’t wait to see what’s coming this year from your kitchen!

    Reply

  95. Lesley

    You just sooo took the pressure off for making a bday cake for my sister in a few days. This is perfect. Thank you.

    Reply

  96. Melissa

    Definitely making this for my son’s birthday next month. Thank you, Joy! Your blog is still so awesome, still makes me smile and I appreciate u.

    Reply

  102. Nutty Nutritionist

    love love that you, Joy the Baker, deem a 9×13 cake in a pan an acceptable birthday cake. These days there is sooo much pressure to make it fancy! I’m making my nephews birthday cake and I will totally make this one!

    Reply

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