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1
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the bottoms and sides of five 9-inch round cake pans (using oil or non-stick spray). Line the bottom of each pan with a piece of parchment paper and grease the paper. Set pans aside.
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2
Mix the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk in a medium bowl with a whisk. Set aside.
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3
In a stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed for about 10 seconds, just enough to blend the ingredients. Add in the butter and the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk with the mixer on low (add the ingredients slowly so the flour doesn't go flying everywhere). Once it's all been added, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 2 minutes.
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4
Then slowly add the egg mixture, scraping down the side of the bowl a couple of times and mixing only until thoroughly incorporated. Divide the batter into 5 bowls, add 1/4 cup of sprinkles to each bowl and fold the sprinkles in gently. Don't over mix or they'll blend into the batter. *If you're only using 1 variety of sprinkles, there's no need to divide them into 5 different bowls.
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5
Bake the cake layers for 28-32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes clean (the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan when it's just about done).
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6
Remove cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes; then carefully invert them onto wire racks, peel off the paper liners, and let them cool completely before frosting and assembling. Use a sharp serrated knife and cut the 'domes' off of your cake layers to make them even and flat.
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*This is when you can freeze the cooled cake layers for a later date. Just wrap the cooled cakes in plastic wrap and freeze.
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8
To make the vanilla buttercream, put the butter in bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium (level 3 on my stand mixer) until pale and creamy, anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium (level 2) and add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well. Add vanilla and salt. Raise speed to medium; beat until smooth, about 1 more minute. Add a few dashes of milk if you need to thin out the frosting. Add more powdered sugar if you need to thicken it. Set aside.
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9
To make the whipped cake batter frosting, add the flour and milk to a small saucepan and whisk until there are no lumps. Then turn the heat to medium and whisk it as it heats and thickens. Stop whisking and turn off the heat when the mixture is very thick. Cool the mixture completely!
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10
Add the vanilla and almond extract to the cooled flour mixture. Whisk until combined.
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In your stand mixer bowl using a whisk attachment, whisk the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. This will take about 2 minutes. Then add in the salt and the cooled flour/milk/vanilla mixture. Continue whisking on medium for about 15 minutes. Scraping down the bowl occasionally. The frosting is done when the texture looks like whipped cream and doesn't have any sugar granules when you taste it.
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12
To assemble the cake, place 1 layer of the leveled cake on a cake plate/stand/serving platter. Add 1/6 of the vanilla buttercream, spread it to the edges, then place a layer of cake on top. Repeat these layers until you've added each cake layer. Use the rest of the vanilla buttercream to spread over the top and sides of the cake. Then spread the cake batter frosting as the outer layer of frosting for the cake. Use as much or as little of this frosting as you want. I used all of mine, it's too good NOT too!
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13
Add more sprinkles to the top, and voila, you're FINALLY done! Now you deserve a huge slice and a nap.
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14
Buttermilk Cake recipe adapted from Sweetapolita via Sky High: Irresistable Triple Layer Cakes.
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15
Vanilla Buttercream adapted from my Perfect Party Cupcakes.
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16
Cake Batter Frosting adapted from The Pioneer Woman
