Red Velvet Cake's sister is this Pink Velvet Cake. Instead of chocolate, this cake is full of vanilla and coated with a cream cheese frosting. . Perfect for Easter, Mother's Day, and Spring!
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with shortening or butter and set them aside.
Make the cake batter
Whisk the 3 cups cake flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a medium mixing bowl.
In a separate large mixing bowl, cream the 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1 cup white sugar with an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy.
Add 3 large eggs, one at a time, and beat until the last egg has been thoroughly mixed. Do not over-mix the batter from this point forward.
Mix in the 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon pink gel food coloring, then alternate adding half of the dry ingredients and half of the 1 cup buttermilk until everything is just mixed. It’s okay if there are some lumps.
Pour and bake
Divide the batter equally between the three cake pans, and smooth it out evenly. Bake the cakes for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the layers comes out clean. Rest the cakes for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the layers and place them on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to blend 1 cup butter and16 ounces cream cheese. Gradually mix in 5-6 cups powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth and thick, then add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Assembly
Place one of the layers on a large plate, platter, or cake stand, and pipe about 1/4” of frosting on top. Use a spatula (an offset spatula works best) to spread out the frosting evenly, then place another cake layer on top. Frost that layer, too, then add the final cake layer on top and frost the top and the sides of the cake carefully to avoid having too many crumbs.
Decorate the cake with pink sprinkles, if desired, and serve.
Notes
Substitutions
If you use salted butter instead of unsalted butter, cut the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
No cake flour? Measure out 3 cups of all-purpose flour, remove 6 tablespoons of flour, then add 6 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift the mixture together at least 4 times.
No buttermilk? Mix 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into 1 cup of regular milk.