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Yellow Layer Cake

Prep: 10 min. Bake: 25 min. + cooling

Instead of a boxed cake mix, why not try your hand at this easy recipe for a basic yellow cake? You just can't beat the homemade goodness!

2/3 cup butter, softened
1-3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups milk
2-1/2 cups frosting of your choice

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Combine the four, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.

Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Spread frosting between layers and cover the top and sides of the cake.

Notes:
I like to use a lot more frosting then 2-1/2 cups, enough for my cake to look great as well as be very creamy. I don't want to be stingy with the frosting but if you want to use only 2-1/2 cups that's fine it works just as great.

This cake is hard to screw up, which makes it fun to make, a lot. You can use any type of milk, and cake flour works too.

Tips, Leveling Cake layers:
Stacking layers for a layered cake is easier when the layers are level. When the cake is cool, use a long serrated knife to slice the high spot from the bottom layer of a two-layer cake or the bottom and middle layers of a three-layer cake. You can trim off the crown of the top layer or leave it for a domed affect.