Very Vanilla Butter Layer Cake

Ingredients
  • cake:
  • butter and flour, for greasing pans
  • 2 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 + 1/2 cups vanilla sugar*
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • frosting:
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 5 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped



Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with butter and dust lightly with flour, tapping out the excess. You can also line the bottoms with parchment rounds first, if desired.
  2. Into a medium bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter for 3 minutes on medium speed, add the sugar and beat 3 more minutes, add vanilla extract and beans, beat 1 minute. Add egg yolks, beat 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.
  3. Mix milk and heavy cream together. With mixer on low speed add flour mixture alternating with the milk mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down sides of the bowl at least once during the process.
  4. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from middle. Cool on wire racks 10 minutes; turn out and continue cooling on racks, right side up, remove parchment if used.
    5. frosting:
  5. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat cream cheese and butter together on low speed 5 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar a cup at a time, beating well after each addition, beat in vanilla extract and beans. Beat on low-medium speed 10 minutes.