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Vanilla Birthday Cake with Old-Fashioned Vanilla Buttercream

This homemade cake is actually very easy to make. Flour, baking powder and salt are whisked together. Then butter and sugar are creamed together and mixed with vanilla and almond extracts, milk and eggs. Next part of the flour mixture is mixed with the milk mixture, then repeated until everything is combined. The batter is poured into pans and baked. Once cooled the cake is frosted homemade frosting. Butter and cream cheese are beaten together before adding powdered sugar, vanilla and salt.
Course Dessert
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Servings 12 people

Ingredients

Cake Layers

  • 2 cups AP flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 12 tbsp (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 6 large eggs room temperature
  • ¾ cup whole milk room temperature
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp almond extract

Buttercream

  • 12 tbsp (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray two 8-inch baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper, spray parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until soft and light. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
  4. Whisk together the egg and milk by hand in a medium bowl until just combined.
  5. Reduce mixer speed to low add in a quarter of the flour, a third of the milk mixture and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Repeat with another quarter of flour, then a third of the milk until the flour is added in last.
  6. Scrape the bowl with a spatula. Pour the batter into prepared pans and smooth the tops.
  7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until well risen and firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then unmold to finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Buttercream

  1. In the bowl cream the butter and cream cheese until creamy and well combined.
  2. Gradually add the powdered sugar then beat in the vanilla and salt. If the frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tbsp of milk or cream.