Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp, plus more for pans
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
½ tsp baking power
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks (reserve egg whites for frosting)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Whipped Frosting
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Directions: |
Directions:Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour two 8x2-inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined.
Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32 to 355 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pan and invert cakes onto a wire rack. Let cool completely
Chocolate variation:
In step 1, reduce flour to 2 cups and add ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Top frosted cake with shaved dark chocolate.
Lemon variation:
In step 1, add 1 tablespoon lemon zest to flour mixture. In step 2, omit vanilla and beat in 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice with buttermilk.
While cakes are baking, bring ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 1 thinly sliced and seeded lemon and simmer 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemon slices to a waxed-paper-lined plate. Stir ¼ cup fresh lemon juice into syrup.
Using a toothpick, poke holes in warm cakes on rack. Brush with lemon syrup. For frosting, substitute 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice for vanilla. Frost cooled cakes and top with candied lemon slices. |
This recipe for Versatile Vanilla Cake is from