The Best Yellow Cake I’ve Ever Had

there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl.
Whip the egg whites Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high speed until fluffy peaks form about 3 minutes. See photo and video above for a visual. Slowly and gently fold the egg whites into the thick cake batter. Avoid overmixing as you dont want to deflate the egg whites.
Pourspoon batter evenly into cake pans.
Bake Bake for around 27-31 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. After about 18 minutes tent the cakes with aluminum foil to prevent the tops and sides from overbrowning. To test the cakes for doneness insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean its done. The cakes may look a little spongey on top as a result of the whipped egg whites. Thats normal!
Allow cakes to cool completely in the pans set on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.
Make the buttercream With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed until creamy about 2 minutes. Add confectioners sugar cocoa powder 3 Tablespoons heavy cream salt and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds then increase to high speed and beat for 1 full minute. Do not overwhip. Add 1/4 cup more confectioners sugar or cocoa powder if frosting is too thin or 1-2 more Tablespoons of cream if frosting is too thick. I usually add 1 more. Taste. Add another pinch of salt if desired.
Assemble and frost If cooled cakes are domed on top use a large serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the tops to create a flat surface. This is called leveling the cakes. Discard or crumble over finished cake or on ice cream!. Place 1 cake layer on your cake turntable cake stand or serving plate. Evenly cover the top with frosting. Top with 2nd layer. If desired if the edges seem extra crumbly apply a crumb coat which is a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. You can see I did this in the video tutorial above. Refrigerate the crumb coated cake for 15 minutes before adding the rest of the frosting. Spread remaining frosting all over the top and sides. I always use an icing spatula andor a
bench scraper for the frosting. Garnish with sprinkles if desired.
For extra neat slices refrigerate cake for 30-60 minutes before slicing. This helps the cake hold its shape when cutting.
Cover leftover cake tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days