Cake Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and grease three 4” cake pans 
2. To a large bowl, add and whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.  
3. In another bowl with a whisk, mix your melted and cooled butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts, and oil together for about 2 minutes. Stop mixing to add the egg and beat again for another minute.
4. Add half of your bowl of dry ingredients and half of your buttermilk to your primary mixing bowl. Mix for about 45 seconds before repeating step to incorporate all buttermilk and flour, as well as fold in your rainbow sprinkles. 
5. Pour and evenly spread the batter into your small prepared cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cakes appear buttery and dense but bounce back at the touch of your finger.
6. Let cakes cool in pan about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. 

Vanilla Buttercream and Cake Assembly Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the unsalted butter, powdered sugar, salt, heavy cream or milk, and vanilla and almond extracts on low for about 30 seconds before increasing speed to medium high for 5 minutes.  
2. Test taste and add a drop or two of lemon juice to cut sweetness if desired.  
3. Place frosting in a piping bag fitted with a tip of your choice or use a spoon or spatula to spread it onto your cake.
4. Add a dollop of buttercream onto a cake circle to act as glue to hold the layer in place. Set first cake layer on top of that, and pipe about a third of your frosting onto the layer. Spread evenly with a cake spatula, spoon or knife.
5. Place second cake layer on top of the first, adding more frosting between the layers as needed to fill in any gaps. Repeat step with final cake layer.
6. Starting from the base of the cake and moving to the top, pipe a thick layer of frosting all around your cake’s sides and top.
7. Place a cake scraper (or back of a bench scraper) against the side of the cake and gently pull the cake around to smooth out bubbles in the frosting.
8. Continue this process until the whole cake is smooth before using a standard-sized or small offset spatula to push the excess cake frosting around the cake's top toward the center of the cake.
9. If desired, use an open star tip to create a decorative border around the top of your cake with buttercream swirls, and add sprinkles for fun.