Half-Dressed Vanilla Cake
Makes (1) 3-Layer Cake

Spring into party mode! A beautifully layered cake is easier to make than you might think. Just use quality baking pans, only the best ingredients, and apply a little patience. This half-dressed cake is sparingly frosted on the outside, with rich, creamy, buttercream applied between each layer of a very vanilla-y cake. We feature a wreath of buttercream flowers and leaves on top, but fresh berries, or edible flowers would also be a stunning presentation.

Cake Ingredients:
3 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2-3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk,room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), room temperature
2-1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Vanilla Simple Syrup:
(heat the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool, then use to lock in moisture in the baked cakes)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Frosting:
Vanilla Buttercream (use our recipe below)
Buttercream Flowers and Leaves

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the baking racks one-third from the bottom and two-thirds from the top of the oven. Prepare three 8-inch cake pans with parchment rounds, and spray the insides well with baking spray.

2. Using a whisk, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) together in a large bowl until evenly combined with no lumps appearing. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and buttermilk until evenly combined. Set aside.

4. In a large stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for 3-5 minutes until smooth and creamy.

5. Add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract to the creamed butter and mix until fully incorporated.

6. Alternate adding the remaining dry and wet (milk and buttermilk) ingredients, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until just blended. Do not over mix, but do make sure that the batter is smooth, and not lumpy. Pour the batter equally into the three prepared pans.

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center of the cake springs back from a light fingertip touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center returns clean.

8. Cool the cakes on top of a cooling rack for 10-20 min, then run a dull blade around the edge of the pan to loosen the sides. Invert the cake using a plate, and place the cake onto a cooling rack. Allow the cake to continue completely cooling before layering and frosting.

9. Place a cardboard cake circle on a revolving cake stand using a little smear of frosting to secure it. Dab another smear of buttercream on the top of the secured cardboard round, and place the first layer of cake in the center. Trim the layer horizontally with a long serrated bread knife to obtain a flat top. Brush the cake with a thin coat of vanilla simple syrup.

10. Once the simple syrup has dried, about 15 minutes, evenly frost the top of the layer with a 1/4" thick layer of buttercream. Finish building the cake by adding layers alternating with cake and frosting. Use the bottom side of a cake as the final layer, as it will have the strongest edge.

11. Add the buttercream frosting to the sides of the cake, frost lightly, while turning the cake. Scrape any excess frosting off the sides with a icing scraper for a "half-dressed" look.

12. Add buttercream icing to the top of the cake spreading it in a thick, even layer. Finish the frosting process by cleaning up the top edge of the cake with an offset spatula.

13. Add any other decorations to the cake, as desired.

14. To make buttercream roses and leaves, as shown on the top of our cake, cut pieces of parchment paper into 2 inch squares. Use various shades of buttercream and a petal tip to pipe and layer the rose flowers onto each square of parchment. Use a leaf tip to create the leaves. Let these shapes harden or crust slightly -- about 30 minutes or longer. (A short stint in the freezer may help to stabilize the shapes.)

15. When ready, remove each flower from the parchment piece by sliding a sharp knife under each flower and transferring them carefully to the frosted cake. Use additional buttercream on the top of the cake underneath the flowers and leaves to build a little height and depth to the decorations.

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Simple Vanilla Buttercream
Makes about 4 cups

A simple vanilla buttercream icing is easy to whip up with a stand mixer, and this one tastes so delicious! The nature and consistency of this recipe works well for frosting any cake simply, as well as when making elaborate buttercream flowers. Get creative by mixing various colors or using fancy frosting tips. We dare you to just try not licking your fingers!

Ingredients:
1 lb (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
7 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Optional:
Gel food coloring in various colors

Directions:
1. Using a stand mixer, beat the butter for 5 minutes until it turns a pale yellow and has a smooth, silky consistency. Add the vanilla and beat for an additional 30 seconds until well combined.

2. Sift the powdered sugar once to remove any lumps. Add half of the powdered sugar to the creamed butter, and whip for 3-5 minutes until the icing looks nicely whipped. Then add the remaining half of the sugar, and whip for an additional 3-5 minutes, until fully incorporated with a whipped consistency.

3. Add the cream 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until the desired texture is reached. Make a thicker buttercream texture for any complex frosting shapes, and a thinner texture for frosting cakes. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally with a spatula to ensure all the ingredients are evenly mixed.

4. Mix different colors of buttercream icing using gel food coloring. (Gel food coloring tends to keep the consistency of the icing versus liquid food coloring. As well, gel food coloring lends deep colors with just a little bit. Assemble the various colors desired using small amounts of the gel coloring in a few tablespoons of white icing -- this is your "base starter color." Mix various tints of the desired colors by using several small bowls. Transfer most of the base color to another bowl reserving only the amount of the base color needed for final decorating. Add white buttercream to the second bowl in a quantity needed to achieve the next lighter color. Transfer most of this second color to a third bowl reserving the amount needed of the second lighter color needed for final decorating. In the third bowl, add enough white buttercream to achieve the next lighter tint. Continue for the number of colors desired. Create a full range of colors with larger amounts of frosting. For buttercream flowers, a range of pinks, oranges, yellows, and peaches would be a good place to start. For green leaves, mix a few different light green hues, and a few darker hues. For subtle colors, add color very slowly. Mix colors according to color theory, i.e., for a darker green, add a little red. For a darker orange, add a tiny bit of blue. For less saturated colors, add a bit of brown. Mix color in slowly -- over-saturated colors happen very quickly.

5. After mixing an array of colors, keep the frosting covered with plastic wrap until you're ready to use.