Classic white cake

1. Prepare the cake pans - line the bottom of two 8 inch cake pans and butter and flour the sides. For best results, you can use cake baking strips for white sides. These need to be soaked in cold water ahead of time (at least 15 minutes). After 15 - 30 minutes of soaking, wrap the prepared cake pans with the soaked baking strips and set aside until needed.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

White cake

1. Sift all the dry ingredients together and set aside. This includes the cake flour, baking powder and baking soda.
2. In another bowl or jug - combine the sour cream, milk and the flavor extracts. Stir to combine and set aside until needed.
3. Place the butter, salt and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. With a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar mix together until light, creamy and fluffy. This can take as long as 5 - 10 minutes depending on the texture and temperature of the butter and the ambient room temperature.
4. Whisk the egg whites separately until they are slightly frothy. This is to break up the egg whites and to make them loose. They do not have to be whisked into a meringue.
5. Add the whisked egg whites to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix for about 1 - 2 minutes until the egg whites have completely incorporated into the butter.
6. Next, add in the rest of the wet ingredients and mix until well incorporated. If the mixture becomes grainy, do not worry. This can happen if the ingredients are at different temperatures, but it will come together after the dry ingredients have been added.
7. Gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients. Be careful to NOT OVER-MIX the dry ingredients. I like to add the dry ingredients in 2 - 3 additions to make sure I don’t over-mix the cake batter.
8. Divide the cake batter equally between the 2 cake pans. An ice cream scoop is a great way to divide the batter equally, or do it by weight to divide the batter accurately.
9. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly in the cake pan. Knock the pans against your kitchen counter 2 - 3 times, firmly but not too hard, to knock out any air bubbles stuck in the batter.
10. Bake the cake pans in the preheated oven for about 25 - 35 minutes, rotating once halfway through the baking time. It will take 25 - 30 minutes without cake strips, and up to 35 minutes with cake strips.
11. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean, or when the surface of the cakes is just starting to be springy to the touch. The baking time can vary depending on your oven and cake pans too, so keep an eye on them.
12. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool for 5 - 10 minutes. While the cakes are still warm, carefully remove them from the pans and transfer them on to cooling racks.
13. OPTIONAL - while warm, soak the cakes with the vanilla syrup using a squeeze bottle.
14. Let the cakes cool completely.
15. While the cakes are cooling, you can make the Swiss meringue buttercream (you can also make this the day before too) or the American buttercream.

Vanilla syrup - This can be made a day ahead, or just before making the cake.

1. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 2 - 5 minutes and then remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract.
2. Let the syrup cool down completely. Store the syrup in a squeeze bottle until needed. You can use the syrup while warm or at room temperature.

Buttercream - can be made ahead of time.

1. Use the recipe here to make vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream (this is a slightly more involved option) OR make American buttercream (for an easier option).

Frosting and decorating the cake

1. When the cakes have cooled down, they are ready to be frosted. If needed, trim and level the cake tops to make them evenly flat.
2. Place a cake layer on your cake turntable (or platter). Measure and place about ½ - ¾ cup of frosting on top of the cake and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly. Leave a small margin along the edge of the cake.
3. Place the second cake layer on top, with the bottom side facing up (this is to create a flat surface on top). Place about ¾ - 1 cup of frosting and spread the frosting along the top and sides of the cake, filling any gaps between cake layers. Make sure the frosting is spread very thin, over the top and sides, to create a flat surface and straight sides. This will be your crumb coating (which catches and seals in any loose crumbs). Having a crumb coating is optional, but recommended for a clean, professional looking cake.
4. Let the frosting “set” in the fridge, or in a cool place for about 30 minutes.
5. Once the crumb coating is “set”, apply another layer of white frosting. You can create a smooth layer of frosting using a frosting scraper, or create swirls of frosting with an offset spatula instead (for a rustic look).
6. OPTIONAL - place some frosting in a piping bag with a large open star or closed star piping tip. Pipe swirls on the top of the cake. Decorate with sprinkles.