Simple Vanilla Layer Cake
A two-layer vanilla cake with butter, vegetable oil, whole milk, two eggs and two whites, finished with prepared buttercream.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups milk (whole)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 0.5 cup butter (softened)
- 0.5 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
Frosting
- 3 cups prepared vanilla buttercream preparation separate; about 1 cup between layers and 2 cups outside
Pan preparation
- as needed cooking spray
Instructions
- Warm the oven to 325°F. Grease and parchment-line two 9-inch round pans. Whisk dry ingredients; combine milk with vanilla separately.
- Beat butter, oil, and sugar together. Incorporate eggs and whites gradually, scraping after each addition.
- Alternate three dry additions with two milk additions on low speed. Stop once batter is uniform, then divide equally between pans.
- Bake 30–40 minutes until centers pass the tester check without wet batter.
- Rest in pans 15–20 minutes, then unmold onto racks. Allow about 70 minutes total cooling, until no warmth remains.
- Fill with about 1 cup prepared buttercream, cover the exterior with the remaining 2 cups, and divide into 12 slices.
Notes
Milk measure is 1 1/3 cups. Use two eggs plus two whites and two nine-inch pans. Seventy-minute cooling allowance includes the pan rest. Prepared frosting is an ingredient; making or softening it takes additional time.