Moist White Cake with Almond Buttercream

When my daughter turned 14 in October, she requested a white cake with almond frosting. My husband was super excited because he loves almond also. I, on the other hand, was wishing for some chocolate! But it wasn't about me, it was about her and I was all too happy to make her whatever her little old heart desired. So, may I present this little beauty:

Makes 12 Servings

Cake:

2 sticks of butter, softened

2 cups of sugar

4 egg whites

3 cups self-rising flour

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease three 9" round cake pans. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Stir in sugar, one cup at a time and cream about 5 minutes. Add egg whites one at a time, beating well after each is added. Alternate adding flour and buttermilk, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and butter flavoring, mixing only until combined. Pour batter equally into the three cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes. Remove and cool about 10 minutes, then cover completely with plastic wrap and let cool on wire racks until completely cooled. 

Frosting:

3 sticks of butter, softened

5-6 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1-2 tablespoons of whipping cream

Cream butter, vanilla and almond together until fluffy. Slowly add in sugar and beat well after each addition. Stir in whipping cream to thin out, if needed. Frost over cooled layers.

I think I ended up adding a couple teaspoons of almond extract and 1 tablespoon of whipping cream, but it's definitely personal preference. You may find you prefer your frosting not as sweet, so you can customize the amount of powdered sugar you add also. Pretty versatile, basic buttercream recipe. I also poked holes in the layers, using a chopstick, and sprayed a little simple syrup in the holes to give it more moisture. This recipe is adapted from Bakerella's yellow cake recipe. My girl was super happy with this cake and we didn't have any leftovers at all. The perfect size for each of our 12 people to get a thin slice, which is just enough when it's so rich and sweet like this one is. Delicious! Happy Valentines Day!