Preheat the oven to 350°F (convection or regular). Grease 2 round 9-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray and line with a parchment paper circle.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and extracts, beating well until fully combined.

Alternately add the milk and dry ingredients, beginning and ending with dry. I often finish folding by hand to prevent overmixing and tunneling in the cake.

Divide batter between prepared cake pans. You can eyeball it or use a kitchen scale.

Bake immediately in the preheated oven until a cake tester or toothpick comes out with a few clinging crumbs, approximately 15-18 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, or they will dry out. Mine baked for 18 minutes in a convection oven.

Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then loosen the sides by running a paring knife or small offset spatula around the edges. Flip it out onto a cooling rack, remove the parchment paper, and then cool it completely before frosting.

While the cakes cool, prepare the vanilla buttercream frosting.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and lightened slightly on medium-high speed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, allowing it to mix in completely before adding the next batch.

Once all the sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla and mix at medium speed until light and smooth.

Switch to the whisk attachment and add cream while mixing at medium to low speed. Then, increase the speed to high and whisk until light, fluffy, and white.

Place one layer of the cake on a decorative cake plate or stand of your choice. Scoop about 1 cup of buttercream onto the top and smooth it out evenly with a large offset spatula.

Place the second cake layer on top and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. This will ensure a nice thick layer of frosting between the cake layers.

Mound the frosting on top and around the edges to fill in any gaps between the layers! Smooth it out with a bench scraper to achieve smooth edges. You can also swirl it decoratively or pipe it into rosettes or another pattern.