Best White Cake, Vanilla Buttercream

By MarieR

Three Layer cake.
Southern Living Magazine Cover, December 2018)

Ingredients

• Cake layers:
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 7 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• Vanilla Buttercream
• 2 cups unsalted butter, softened 7 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• Garnishes
• Rosemary sprigs
• Powdered sugar
• Gingerbread Cookies

Preparation

Step 1

How to Make It
Step 1
Prepare the Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper rounds, and spray paper.

Step 2
Combine butter and sugar in bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until creamy and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Stop mixer, and scrape down sides. With mixer running on low speed, add egg whites, 1 at a time, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add extracts, beating on low speed just until combined.

Step 3
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, alternating with milk, in 3 parts, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until blended after each addition. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans.

Step 4
Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and edges begin to pull away from pans, 24 to 26 minutes.

Step 5
Cool Cake Layers in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Invert onto wire racks, remove pans, and cool completely before frosting, 30 minutes. (Alternatively, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze 2 hours or refrigerate 4 to 6 hours before frosting.)

Step 6
Prepare the Vanilla Buttercream: Beat butter in bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low. With mixer running, gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Beat in vanilla and salt. With mixer running on medium speed, gradually add cream, beating until fluffy and spreadable, about 30 seconds.

Step 7
Place 1 Cake Layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spoon about half of buttercream into a large 16-inch disposable piping bag. Cut a 1⁄2-inch opening in tip of bag. Pipe buttercream, 1⁄3 inch high, in concentric circles starting from the outside and working your way in. Top with second Cake Layer; repeat process, refilling bag as needed. Top with third Cake Layer; repeat process. Generously cover cake with buttercream using an offset spatula. Drag spatula around sides of cake, starting at the bottom. Smooth top of cake

Step 8
Insert rosemary into top of cake; dust with powdered sugar. Top with cookies.