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Writer's pictureIt's Bakes

Vanilla Layer Cake- first ever cake entirely from scratch!

Updated: Oct 15, 2019

Simple, classic, and so so delicious.

I got this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. Her blog is my go-to for every single thing that I make. I've never had a recipe turn out poorly from her. Get the recipe from her site here.


Some nice, uneven layers before I learned about weighing batter and leveling layers.

Some not-so-pretty frosting. Before I learned about crumb coating first.

Recipe


Ingredients

  • 3 and 2/3 cups (420g) cake flour*

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) unsalted butter, softened  

  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar

  • 3 large eggs + 2 additional egg whites, at room temperature*

  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract*

  • 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk, at room temperature*


Vanilla Buttercream

  • 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) unsalted butter, softened

  • 6 cups (720g) confectioners’ sugar

  • 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk or heavy cream

  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract1/8 teaspoon salt


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans.

  2. Make the cake: Whisk the cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together. Set aside.

  3. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in the 3 eggs, 2 egg whites, and vanilla extract on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. (Mixture will look curdled as a result of the egg liquid and solid butter combining.) Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. With the mixer still running on low, pour in the buttermilk and mix just until combined. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.

  4. Pour batter evenly into cake pans. Weigh them to ensure accuracy, if desired. Bake for around 23-26 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.

  5. Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin, more milk if frosting is too thick, or an extra pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.

  6. Assemble and decorate: Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Place 1 cake layer on your cake stand, cake turntable, or serving plate. Evenly cover the top of the cake with frosting then repeat with the second layer. Top with the third cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides.

  7. Refrigerate cake for at least 1 hour before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.

  8. Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.*


Notes

1. You can make cake flour by combining 1 cup of all purpose flour with 2 TBSP of corn starch.

2. I didn't realize this, but butter is not the only ingredient that needs to be room temp. Check out what Sally has to say about all refrigerated ingredients being brought to room temp here.

3. I didn't use pure vanilla extract because I only had artificial. Still turned out amaze.

4. If you don't have buttermilk you can substitute with 1 cup of milk, minus 1 TBSP and adding 1 TBSP of lemon juice. Let sit for 5 mins.

5. This will likely not be a necessary step as it will be gone within 24 hours:)

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