½ cup milk
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1¾ cups flour
1½ cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened

  • Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla together in a small bowl.
  • Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in stand mixer.
  • Add butter, one tablespoon at a time, while mixing until pea-sized pieces remain.
  • Add all but ½ cup of milk mixture and mix on medium-high until light and fluffy.
  • Add final ½ cup of milk mixture, mix on low speed until incorporated.
  • Give batter a final stir by hand.
  • Divide batter between two greased and floured 9” cake pans, and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350°F, until toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool for 2 hours before frosting.

Source: Cook’s Illustrated, p 662.

2020-05-09 19:24:24:

  • This made two very thin cakes
  • When I checked them at 20 minutes, they were still liquid in the middle. But at 26 minutes, they were done.
  • I did not put parchment under them, and I had to loosen the sides with a spatula, and then scrape under the edge all the way around, before they would come out of the cake pans.