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Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake

Source of Recipe


From "The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook" by Allysa Torey



List of Ingredients



• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  
• 2 cups sugar
  
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  
• 1½ cups self-rising flour
  
• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)
  






Instructions



1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
   Grease and lightly flour three 9- x 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.
   
   
2. To make the cake:
   In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition. Divide batter among the cake pans.
   
   
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. When cake has cooled, ice between layers, then ice top and sides of cake.
   
   Makes one three-layer 9-inch cake
   (or 24 cupcakes)
   
   
   FOR CUPCAKES
   Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers. Spoon batter into cups three-quarters full. Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20 to 22 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on a rack before icing.
   
   ............
   
   BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
   
   • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft
   • 8 cups confectioners' sugar
   • ½ cup milk
   • 2 tsp vanilla extract
   
   Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar, and then the milk and the vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (you may very well not need all of the sugar). If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. Use and store icing at room temperature, as icing will set if chilled. (Can store in an airtight container up to 3 days.)
   
   Yields icing for 1 two- or three-layer 9-inch cake or 24 cupcakes.