Vanilla Buttermilk Cake w/ Buttercream Frosting

..."Best cake that I have ever had!" - UCSB golf boys :)

<3 This recipe is dedicated to Megan Griesbach for introducing us to this phenomenal cake!!

Ingredients:

• 4 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 3 cups CAKE flour (Different than all purpose flour.. you can find it in the baking aisle!)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• Buttermilk frosting --recipe below!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans or spray to coat with vegetable oil. (You can use 1 pan and bake it 3 separate times, that will just take WAY longer! I recommend buying 2 or 3 cake pans.) Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper. Grease the paper as well.
2. Put the eggs and yolks in a medium mixing bowl, add the vanilla and 1/4 cup of the buttermilk (**do not put ALL of the buttermilk in during this step). Whisk to blend well.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixer bowl; whisk to blend. Add the butter and the remaining 1 cup buttermilk to these dry ingredients and with the mixer on low, blend together. Raise the mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
4. Add the egg  mixture in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing only until thoroughly incorporated. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.
5. Bake the cake layers for 28-32 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
6. Let the layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes; then carefully turn out onto wire racks, peel off the paper liners, and let cool COMPLETELY. (I let them cool for 12 hours before frosting.)

Buttercream Frosting
***For this cake, since it is so large, I double this frosting recipe!

• 8 tbsp butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract

1. Cream butter with mixer until fluffy.
2. Stop machine and add sugar, milk, and extracts.
3. Blend on low ~ 1 minute.
4. Increase to medium and beat until light and fluffy ~ 1 more minute.
**Add food coloring to make it a pretty color! :)