petite white layer cake

the top layer sliding ever so slightly, this is a total mom cake. i'm pretty sure the first time i celebrated my birthday with a store bought cake was when i turned 19. it was the first year i spent my birthday away from my mother and her homemade cakes. my mom recently reminded me how much my sister and i begged for a store bought cake as kids - which while i don't remember this specifically, i'm not all that surprised that it happened - and then thanked her as adults for always making our cakes. to this day, my mom's layer cakes never look the best - always a little lopsided, one layer sliding off another - but no bakery cake can compare to the flavor of a homemade cake.

since jason and i got married five and a half years ago, we've celebrated our birthdays with homemade treats - layer cakes for me and usually a version of peanut butter chocolate cookies (he's one of the few who don't like frosting. crazy, i know.). now we celebrate the boys' birthdays with homemade cake. while roo's birthday party is next week, we celebrated his birthday at home tonight with this six inch petite white cake. 

his reaction was perfect. i placed a small slice in front of him on his high chair tray and before i even sat down, he picked up the whole slice with one hand and took a huge bite out of the middle. i love how unabashedly unfiltered kids are.

petite white layer cake
adapted from the kitchn
makes a two layer six inch cake, serves 8

to make a two layer 8" or 9" cake, double all of the ingredients for the cake & follow the same method. bake the cakes about an additional 5 minutes. also double all of the ingredients for the buttercream & follow the same method.

for the cake:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup whole milk, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons shortening, room temperature

for the vanilla buttercream:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3-4cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. preheat your oven to 350F. grease two 6 inch round cake pans and set aside. 
2. in a small bowl, whisk the egg whites, 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla & almond extracts and set aside.
3. in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix until combined. add the butter and shortening and mix with a mixer until combined. add the remaining milk (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) and mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes. the mixture will be quite thick. add the egg white mixture and mix for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth. 
4. divide the batter equally among the cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. turn the cakes out of the pans and cool completely before frosting.
5. to make the vanilla buttercream, add the butter, 2 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla extract, and beat on medium speed for 3-5 minutes or until combined. add remaining sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating on medium speed for 2 minutes after each addition, until spreading consistency.
6. if your cakes are domed (not flat), use a sharp serrated knife to cut off the domed part to make the cake tops flat. place one cake on the bottom of your serving platter, top with a hearty dollop of icing, and spread. add the top cake layer & frost the cake with the rest of the frosting. decorate as you desire.