High-Altitude Buttermilk

High-Altitude Buttermilk

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

• 2 ¾ cups cake flour (such as Pillsbury® Softasilk®)
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¾ cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 ¼ cups buttermilk, divided
• 2 eggs

Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 ¼ cups butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 6 tablespoons milk, or more as needed
• 2 (16 ounce) packages confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Coat three 9-inch round cake pans generously with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together.

In another large bowl, beat white sugar, 1 cup butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon almond extract with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Pour in half of the buttermilk and mix well. Beat in eggs one at a time.

Beat half of the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture. Add remaining buttermilk; beat well to combine. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until batter is smooth, about 1 minute. Pour batter into prepared cake pans.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 26 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pans for about 15 minutes. Invert onto wire racks and cool completely before frosting, about 45 minutes.

For the frosting, beat 1 1/4 cups butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon almond extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add confectioners' sugar, 2 cups at a time, scraping sides of the bowl as needed, until frosting is smooth. Increase speed to high and beat, adding more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting is fluffy and spreadable.

Spread frosting between cake layers and smooth over top and sides of the cake.

Cook's Note:

You can prepare the dry ingredients in advance by mixing them and pouring them into a quart jar, labeling them for future use, essentially creating your own cake mix.