Sour Cream Vanilla Cake w/Buttercream Frosting & Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:

Cake

– 6 eggs

– 3 cups all-purpose flour

– 1 1/2 teaspon baking powder

– 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

– 2 2/3 cups sugar

– 2 teaspoon vanilla

– 2 cups buttermilk

Vanilla Sour Cream Frosting

Separate eggs. Let egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease three 8 by 1 1/2 inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and 3/4 tsp. salt. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add egg whites all at once; beat on medium-high 3 minutes. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low after each addition just until combined. Divide batter among prepared.

Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cook cakes in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove layers from the pans. Cool thoroughly on racks.

Frost with icing recipe below. Store covered in a refrigerator.

Now this may read intimidating to you, after all, this is SIMPLE Recipe Raves, but I promise, it wasn’t a difficult cake to make. The hardest thing for me was actually the process of frosting it. I’m warning you now…when a recipe says to let a cake cool before frosting. The baker really meant it! And by cool, I mean COMPLETELY. I admit that I was rather impatient and didn’t let mine completely cool, so I experienced a little bit of some sliding action. As embarrassing as it is to say, the top layer starting falling to the right, but it was nothing that the refrigerator and some wooden skewers couldn’t fix. Despite the frosting mishap, it didn’t come out too bad and regardless, it still tasted heavenly. In the end, no one could tell. But I’m telling you, learn from my mistake and save yourself the pain from trying to keep the layers from falling over. Be patient and wait–it’s an important life-long skill that your parents taught you for a reason. Who knew that it could come in handy while cooking?

– Buttermilk or milk for thinning if desired

1- In large mixing bowl combine butter, sour cream and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on medium for 30 seconds. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Thin with buttermilk or milk if desired.

2- Frost the bottom layer of the cake. Add the middle layer and frost. Top with the last layer and distribute the rest of the frosting evenly around sides and top.

3- Slice and enjoy or refrigerate until serving.

Ok, so now that you’ve read all the steps, you’re probably thinking “WOW”. So much for nutritional and healthy recipes. I really thought about substituting ingredients, but for such a large cake, I didn’t want to take the chances. Baking is really a science, and with one deviation from the recipe, you could end up making a total flop. It’s not as important when it comes to cookies and brownies (you’ll see some of my substitutions in future recipes). But if it makes you feel any better, this is such a moist, rich and filling cake, you really only need a sliver to satisfy that sweet craving not only for you but also your guests. Trust me. I have a few friends to vouch who will vouch for me!

And if you’ve had a long school or work day like me…well, let’s just say this really hits the spot.

ENJOY !