Ingredients

• 2½ cups (315g) cake flour (or all-purpose minus 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp cornstarch)
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs + 2 egg whites, room temperature
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract (or 2 tsp vanilla bean paste for speckled luxury)
• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease & line two 8″ or three 6″ round pans.
Whisk cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar 4–5 min until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then egg whites—mix until just combined. Beat in vanilla.
Alternate adding dry mix and milk: begin and end with flour (dry → milk → dry → milk → dry). Mix only until smooth—no overbeating!
Divide evenly into pans. Smooth tops. Bake 22–28 min (6″ pans) or 28–32 min (8″) until springy and a tester comes out clean.
Cool in pans 10 min, then invert onto racks. Cool completely before frosting (warm cake = melty mess!).
💡 Pro tip: For ultra-even layers, weigh batter (≈340g per 8″ pan). Freeze unfrosted layers up to 1 month—wrap tightly!