A light, moist vanilla bean cake that tastes like a sweet sugar cookie! Topped with Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting and fresh berries for a fun, spring dessert!
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Spray two or three (see notes) 8 inch cake pans with oil or butter and flour, then line the bottom with parchment paper.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Combine milk and vegetable oil together in a separate bowl and set aside as well.
Using an electric mixer, beat room temperature butter. Add sugar and vanilla, and continue to cream together, scraping sides as needed. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition.
Alternate mixing in dry and wet (the milk and oil); start and end with the dry ingredients. Divide evenly between baking pans and spread evenly.
Bake for 17-22 minutes (see notes) until edges are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool on a cooling rack completely.
FROSTING:
Using an electric mixer, cream butter, add vanilla and milk, and one cup of powdered sugar. Beat together until mixed. Continue adding powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until fully blended and smooth. Check for desired thickness and sweetness level after 3 cups - I usually add a total of 3 1/2 - 4 cups. Continue mixing until light and fluffy.
Once cake is fully cooled, frost the bottom layer's top, pushing frosting to the edge. Continue adding layers (one or two more depending on cake). Don't frost the top yet, start with the edges by pulling a bench scraper along the sides to spread the frosting. Add additional frosting to the side and continue to scrape as needed. When the sides are done, frost the top of the cake, smoothing out the edges. Decorate and serve with fresh berries as desired.
Notes
If you want thicker cake layers - divide the cake into two cake pans. Bake a few minutes longer (likely closer to 25 minutes).