Step 1

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees. Line 1/4 Sheet pan with parchment paper, and then lightly spray the bottom (on top of the parchment) and sides of the sheet pan with cooking spray.

Step 2

Combine and whisk Wet Ingredients in a medium bowl or pitcher until smooth and blended. Whisk the Eggs together in a separate small bowl and set aside.

Step 3

Sift and whisk together the Dry Ingredients, then add them with the soft-to-the-touch salted butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. (Or use a large bowl and an electric mixer).

Step 4

With a stand mixer (preferred) or handheld mixer on low speed, blend the dry ingredients and softened butter until it has a sand-like texture, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Make sure there are no large lumps of butter--it should look like uniform sand.

Step 5

On low speed, slowly pour in the Wet ingredients until it is well combined. Scrape sides of the bowl as needed. Turn the mixer up to medium, and beat until the batter is smooth.

Step 6

While the mixer is on low, slowly add the beaten eggs into the batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the speed to medium-high or high, and beat the cake batter for another 30 seconds to one minute until smooth.

Step 7

Spread into prepared pan and make sure the batter is evenly distributed. An offset spatula works well for this.

Step 8

Bake on the middle or top rack (avoid bottom rack) of the preheated 325-degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake springs back to the touch or passes the toothpick test. Oven times will vary, so keep an eye on the cake starting after 25 minutes, and don't worry if your cake takes longer in the oven than listed above. Just continue to bake until it passes the toothpick test and springs back when you touch it lightly with your finger. Double batches typically take a few minutes longer than 1x batches.

Step 9

The delicate cake will be easiest to layer from cold or frozen--allow the cake to cool, then wrap the cake in the pan thoroughly in plastic wrap. Freeze the cake in the pan for at least 2 hours or up to 2 weeks ahead of time.

Step 10

The easiest way to layer the cake is to layer the cake from frozen the day before you plan to serve it. If serving the cake the same day you are layering it, use refrigerated cake layers instead of frozen (but it will be more difficult to layer). Cut the cake layers with cake rings as described in How to Bake and Layer Cakes Like a Pro.

Step 11

Fill each cake layer with prepared Creamy Vanilla Bakery Buttercream. An offset icing spatula (I use the small and medium-size on all my cakes) helps with this.

Step 12

I recommend frosting a thin crumb coat of buttercream on the outside of the vanilla cake which will catch all the crumby edges, then allow it to set up in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the buttercream is firm. The remaining cake scraps can be used for cake truffles if desired.

Step 13

Allow the completed cake to set up in the fridge, but remove it from the fridge 1-3 hours before serving so it can come back to room temperature. This cake has the best texture at room temperature. Enjoy!