Birthday Cake

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 Tbsp aluminum free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, whites and yolks separated, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup + 1 Tbsp whole milk, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup rainbow jimmies sprinkles
• Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, 1 full recipe found HERE, or make more for decorating

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, add parchment to the bottoms, butter the parchment, flour the pans, and tap out any extra. Wrap the pans with cake strips. Sift the cake flour into a medium mixing bowl, then add the baking powder and salt and whisk to combine.
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat the butter with the sugar until the mixture looks very light in color and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl, including the bottom. Beat in the vegetable oil, then add the 2 egg yolks and scrape the bowl again. Mix in the vanilla extract and almond extract, then set this mixture aside.
3. In a separate clean medium mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat 6 egg whites, using 2 from the whole eggs listed and 4 from the egg whites listed, on high speed until they hold medium-stiff peaks. The points should still bend just a little.
4. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture in the stand mixer and mix only until incorporated. Pour in 1/2 of the milk and mix just until it disappears into the batter. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix just to combine, then add the remaining 1/2 milk mixture and mix just to combine. Finish with the final 1/3 of the flour mixture, mixing only until the batter comes together.
5. Take the bowl off the stand mixer. Add the whipped egg whites and sprinkles, then use a rubber spatula to fold them in gently, stopping as soon as everything is combined.
6. Divide the batter between the prepared pans, then spread it out into an even layer.
7. Bake in the heated oven until a toothpick poked into the middle comes out clean, about 30 – 35 minutes.
8. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to release them, then turn them out onto wire racks and let them cool completely.
9. When the layers are cool, frost them with buttercream frosting. If you want sprinkles on the frosting, add them right away before the surface begins to set into a lightly dry crust. Store the cake in an airtight container at a cool temperature, or chill it for a longer shelf life.