Vanilla Cake

I love my chocolate cake recipe.  It was time to add a vanilla cake to the repertoire.  The first couple were way too dense.  This one was much better!  For now, this one is my go to vanilla cake recipe:

- Cooking spray
- 3 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans  (or one 9x13) with cooking spray and dust with flour.

Put the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Add the sugar and pulse a few times to combine evenly. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the dry ingredients. Pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand, with some pea-size bits of butter, about 5 times.

Whisk the milk, vanilla and eggs together in a liquid measuring cup. With the processor running, pour in the wet ingredients and process to make a smooth batter (this takes less than a minute). Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick or small skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Cool the cakes on a rack for 15 minutes. Then run a knife around the edges of the pans and turn the cakes out onto a plate. Flip the cakes upright and cool completely on the rack, about 45 minutes.

For birthday cakes, spoiling others, or just because...enjoy!