3 Layer Vanilla Cake in 3 Hours

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 ½ Cups Unsalted Butter
• 2 ¼ Cups Sugar
• 4 Egg Whites
• 3 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• ¼ tsp Baking Soda
• 2 ¾ tsp Baking Powder
• 1 ½ Cups Milk
• 2 Cups Unsalted Butter
• 4 Cups Confectioners Sugar
• ½ Cup Whole Milk
• 2 tbsp Vanilla Extract
• Food Coloring
• Patriotic Sprinkles

Instructions

• 1 First, preheat the oven to 350°F
• 2 Then, combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the
  ingredients together on high speed for about two minutes, occasionally scraping
  the sides of the bowl down into the mixture.
• 3 Next, in a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites for about 1 minute or until
  fluffy.
• 4 Add the vanilla, and beat the mixture on medium speed for one more minute.
• 5 Then, combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in another medium-sized
  bowl.
• 6 Add the egg mixture and about ⅓ of the dry ingredient mixture to the butter
  mixture, and beat on medium speed until everything is mixed.
• 7 Next, add half of the milk and beat again on medium speed.
• 8 Continue alternating between adding the milk and dry ingredients, ⅓ at a time,
  while beating until all the ingredients are completely mixed. Make sure to
  scrape down the sides of the bowl into the batter.
• 9 Next, grease 3 cake pans with butter, or preferably vegetable shortening. Then,
  evenly divide and spread the batter between the greased cake pans.
  
  If colored layers are desired, you can evenly divide the batter into 3 bowls and
  mix a small amount of red food coloring into one bowl, and blue food coloring
  into another. Don't add color to the 3rd, this way you end up with red, white,
  and blue layers.
  
  Use a digital scale to measure out exact and even batter portions.
• 10 Bake the cake layers for 30-33 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center of
  the cake comes out cleanly.
• 11 After baking, let the cakes cool for 4 minutes. Then, transfer them to cooling
  racks and let each one cool completely, until cool to the touch.
• 12 After cooling, if your cakes are dome-shaped, carefully cut off the excess,
  bubbled up part of the cake to make each cake layer totally flat.
• 13 Finally, wrap each layer in saran wrap, then again in foil, and freeze until
  solid.
• 14 To make the buttercream frosting, first beat the room temp butter by itself in
  the stand mixer at a high speed until creamy, around 5 minutes, occasionally
  scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• 15 Then, gradually add the sugar and milk alternatively, while continuing to beat
  at a low speed.
• 16 Add in the vanilla extract and beat for 8-10 minutes on high speed, scraping the
  sides of the bowl into the mixture.
• 17 Next, divide the frosting evenly into 4 bowls.
• 18 Use a toothpick to add a tiny amount of blue food coloring to one of the bowls
  and mix until you have a pale blue color, almost like a baby blue. In another
  frosting bowl, add a few drops of the blue coloring and mix until you have a
  deeper, more vibrant blue.
• 19 Then, add a couple of drops of the red coloring into the 3rd bowl of frosting
  and mix until you have a vibrant red color. Leave the 4th bowl of frosting plain
  white.
• 20 Next, prepare 3 or 4 piping bags. Scoop the pale blue frosting into one of the
  piping bags by itself and tie it off.
• 21 Then, alternate between scooping the vibrant blue and ¼ of the white frosting
  into another piping bag prepared with a piping tip for creating swirls. Tie off
  the bag.
• 22 In another piping bag prepared with a tip, alternate between adding the red
  frosting and ¼ of the white frosting. Tie off the bag.
• 23 The remaining white frosting can be transferred to a piping bag for easy
  distribution, or left in the bowl to scoop out as needed.
• 24 First, place a dollop of white buttercream on the center of a revolving cake
  stand to help keep the cake from sliding. Set a frozen cake layer onto the cake
  stand, and spread about 1 ½ cups of white icing evenly on top of the cake layer.
• 25 Then, add another frozen cake layer and spread another 1 ½ cups of white icing
  on top.
• 26 Top off the cake with the final frozen cake layer and top with white frosting.
• 27 After the layers are assembled, move the cake to the refrigerator to chill for
  30 minutes.
• 28 Next, coat the sides of the assembled cake with a thin layer of white
  buttercream frosting and spread evenly. This will create a cake coat for the
  final frosting on the cake.
• 29 Place the cake back into the fridge for another 30 minutes.
• 30 Then, pipe the pale blue frosting on the prepared cake and spread a thick, even
  layer over the entire cake. Use a cake scraper to make sure the frosting is
  evenly spread and smooth.
• 31 Finally, using the piping bags of colored buttercream frosting, pipe red, white,
  and blue rosettes on top of the cake and, if desired, stick patriotic sprinkles
  into the sides of the cake.

Nutrition Info