Perfect Birthday Cake

Ingredients

• cooking spray , such as Baker's Joy™ Non-Stick Release Spray with Flour
• 3 cups white sugar
• 1.5 cups unsalted butter , at room temperature
• 6 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 4 cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 0.5 teaspoons salt
• 0.25 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 0.25 cups heavy cream
• 0.25 cups half-and-half

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 12x18x2-inch cake pan with cooking spray.

2. 2

   Combine sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping the mixing bowl sides. Add vanilla bean paste and almond extract. Mix well.

3. 3

   Sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Combine milk, cream, and half-and-half in a measuring cup.

4. 4

   Alternate adding sifted cake flour mixture and liquids to the creamed sugar mixture, 4 to 5 times, until everything is well combined and batter is smooth. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and loosely cover with a piece of foil.

5. 5

   Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Invert carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Decorate with frosting of your choice.