Classic Birthday Cake

Ingredients for Funfetti Birthday Cake:

Cake flour – this makes for a more soft and tender cake.
Baking powder – a crucial ingredient to ensure the cake rises. Use aluminum free for best flavor.
Salt – this will bring out the flavors of the cake and keep it from tasting bland.
Unsalted butter – never use margarine or shortening. Only real butter in this recipe.
Granulated sugar – this makes the cake sweet and tender, I don’t recommend adjusting the amount.
Vegetable oil – canola oil will work fine too. Adding just 1/4 cup helps ensure the cake is moist.
Whole eggs and egg whites – these bind ingredients and actually help the cake rise too. I like to use more whites here for less yellow color and a fluffier cake.
Vanilla and almond extract – use real flavor, not imitation or it will taste artificial.
Whole milk – I don’t recommend non-dairy milks here. Real cow’s milk will make a difference in flavor.
Sprinkles – use rainbow jimmies, nonpareils will bleed into the batter. If preferred you can make your own blend of colors with the jimmies.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting – for this you’ll need butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream.

Preheat oven and prepare cake pans: preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and line two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper, butter parchment, dust with flour and shake out excess. Wrap pans with cake strips****.
Whisk dry ingredients: sift cake flour into a medium mixing bowl. Add baking powder and salt and whisk together.
Whip butter and sugar: in the bowl of an electric stand mixer cream butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy. Scrape down sides and bottom of mixer bowl with a rubber spatula.
Mix in oil, egg yolks and flavoring: mix in vegetable oil. Then mix in the 2 egg yolks, scrape down mixer bowl. Blend in vanilla and almond extract. Set aside.
Separately, whip egg whites: in a separate clean medium mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer whip 6 egg whites (2 from the whole eggs listed, 4 from egg whites listed) on high speed until medium-stiff peaks form (tips of peaks should just droop slightly).
Add flour alternating with additions of milk (to butter mixture): add 1/3 of the flour mixture to butter mixture in stand mixer, mix just until combined. Add 1/2 of the milk and mix just until combined. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture mix just until combined, followed by remaining 1/2 milk mixture mixing just until combined. Add in last 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix just until combined.