Baking with Benson

By: Benson Elmore

Say it is your birthday, and you need the most awesome cake ever from scratch, well look no further, I have the best birthday cake recipe ever. 

The ingredients required for this masterpiece are

• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk

Once you have these your ready to get to cooking!

First, here are the steps to prepare your kitchen/appliances for awesomeness…

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two round cake pans.
• In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy for about 5 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time, mixing them well after each time you make a new addition. Then, stir in the vanilla extract.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
• Divide the batter evenly between the round pans.

Now it is time to get to baking…

• Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

Next, you want to make the frosting

Here’s the ingredients 

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Food coloring (optional)

Now, here’s how you make it

• In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy.
• Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until combined.
• Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. If you want to color the frosting, add a few drops of food coloring and mix until well incorporated.

Now it’s time to assemble this masterpiece

• Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a layer of buttercream frosting on top.
• Add the second cake layer and frost the top and sides of the entire cake with the remaining buttercream.
• Decorate with sprinkles or any other decorations you like.

Now serve up this awesome cake to the birthday boy/girl for the best birthday EVER!!!