Makes: 2 9-inch rounds
Cake Prep: 15 minutes
Cake Bake: 30-35 minutes
Cake Freeze: overnight
Icing Prep: 20 minutes
Assembly: 20 minutes
For Cake:
| 4 | cup all-purpose flour |
| 4 | teaspoon baking powder |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| 12 | large egg whites |
| 2 | cup whole milk |
| 1½ | cup unsalted butter, slightly softened |
| 3 | cup granulated sugar |
| 4 | teaspoon vanilla extract |
For Frosting:
| 2 | cup unsalted butter, slightly softened |
| 4 | cup powdered sugar |
| ½ | cup heavy cream |
| 2 | tablespoon vanilla extract |
1. For cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round pans.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg whites and milk until just combined. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture and egg mixture alternately. Mix until just combined. Scrape bottom and edges of bowl once partway through and once at the end.
3. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake on the middle rack 30 to 35 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour.
4. Wrap layers tightly in plastic wrap and place in freezer overnight (or at least 1 hour before frosting).
5. When ready to frost the cake, remove layers from freezer and unwrap. Level any uneven layers with a serrated knife. Set layers aside.
6. For frosting: Using a paddle or whisk attachment, in large bowl, beat butter until pale ivory and very fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Scrape bottom and edges of bowl once partway through and once at the end. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until combined. Drizzle in heavy cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Scrape bottom and edges of bowl. Beat on high until extremely fluffy, about 10 minutes. Scrape bottom and edges of bowl once partway through and once at the end. Icing should look almost like whipped cream.
7. For assembly: Place a dollop of frosting on cake plate and place one cake layer on top of it. Spoon about 1 cup of frosting on top of first layer and spread the frosting evenly over the top and just past the edges. Place the second cake layer directly on top of the first layer. Spoon about 1½ cup of frosting on top of the second layer and lightly frost the entire cake, starting with the top and moving down the edges. Add more frosting as needed. Place the assembled cake back in freezer for 20 minutes to allow icing to set. Decorate as desired.
Frosting Notes: For a semi-naked cake, when frosting the sides of the cake fill in the gap between the layers completely while leaving the layer edges largely exposed. Use a scraper to remove excess frosting and to smooth the sides. For a naked cake, add more icing in between the layers so it presses out around the edges slightly when the layers are stacked. Do not ice the sides.
Other Cake Quantity Notes: This recipe can easily be used for other combinations of layers:
– 1 10-inch round + 1 8-inch round +1 6-inch round (suggest adding ½ cup flour and ¼ cup whole milk to batter to account for slightly larger overall volume)
– 4 6-inch rounds; I like to make 4 6-inch rounds and freeze 2 of them for an easy special occasion dessert.
– 2 6-inch rounds + 12 cupcakes (see cake in main photo)
– 24 cupcakes
Un-frosted Cake Per Serving (1/24 slice): 286 cal., 12 g fat (7 g sat. fat), 32 mg chol., 49 mg sodium, 60 mg pot., 40 g carb., 25 g sugar, 1 g fiber, 5 g pro.
Frosting Per Serving (1/24 slice): 236 cal., 17 g fat (11 g sat. fat), 47 mg chol., 4 mg sodium, 18 mg pot., 21 g carb., 20 g sugar, 0 g fiber, 0 g pro.
Vanilla Layer Cake with Buttercream Frosting – Reduced Calorie / Reduced Sugar Variation:
Prepare, bake and serve Vanilla Layer Cake with Buttercream Frosting recipe according to instructions, with the following ingredient replacements:
- For cake, replace 1½ cup unsalted butter with ½ cup unsalted butter + 1 cup whole milk plain yogurt.
- For cake, replace 3 cups granulated sugar with 1 cup granulated sugar + 2 cups stevia baking blend (or equivalent zero calorie sugar replacer).
- For frosting, replace 2 cups powdered sugar with 1 cup powdered sugar + 1 cup stevia baking blend (or equivalent zero calorie sugar replacer).
Un-frosted Cake Per Serving (1/24 slice): 167 cal., 5 g fat (3 g sat. fat), 14 mg chol., 91 mg sodium, 161 mg pot., 40 g carb., 15 g sugar, 1 g fiber, 5 g pro.
Frosting Per Serving (1/24 slice): 145 cal., 12 g fat (8 g sat. fat), 35 mg chol., 1 mg sodium, 3 mg pot., 20 g carb., 12 g sugar, 0 g fiber, 0 g pro.