Carl's White Cake

I made this cake for book club but have fallen in love with this recipe and made it several more times for various occasions including my own birthday. It is so buttery and yummy. It is a little bit technical because nothing about it comes from a box, but well worth the effort.

Carl’s White Cake Recipe

2 2/3 cups sifted cake flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temp)
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
3 tsp vanilla extract

4 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 8″ cake pans.
Separate eggs, set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter until soft. Add sugar; beat several minutes (until fluffy!). Add vanilla.  Add one egg yolk at a time, beating after.
Add flour mixture alternately with milk. Flour-milk-flour-milk-flour.
Beat egg whites. When peaks are soft, add sugar. Beat until peaks are stiff, but don’t over beat!
Fold egg whites into flour mixture.  Pour batter into cake pans.

Cook 20-25 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter
4 cups confectioner’s sugar (plus more if necessary)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla

Beat butter until soft. Add sugar gradually, along with vanilla and milk/whipping cream.