Name: Two-Layer Cake
Yield: Makes a 9-inch round cake
Ingredients: 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick), at room temperature; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 egg; 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup cake flour or bleached flour; 1/3 cup whole milk; 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature; 2 tablespoons vanilla extract; 1/2 cup whole milk; 32 ounces confectioners' sugar; 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), at room temperature; 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract; 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk; 48 ounces confectioners' sugar; 4 (or more) different shades of food coloring

Image may contain Birthday Cake Food Cake Dessert Creme Cream Icing Confectionery Sweets and Cupcake

Two-Layer CakeJack Coble

Tip:

To keep them entertained while the cake is baking, give your guests a little lesson on color mixing through frosting. Use beakers or clear glasses with a few drops of food coloring to get them going. Green = Blue + Yellow Pink = Tiny dab of red in white frosting Violet = Blue + Red Orange = Red + Yellow

Recipe notes

Béchamel Sauce

This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.

Caramelized Onion Pasta

Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.

Butternut Squash–Kale Salad With Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Round out these autumn greens with tart pomegranate seeds, crunchy pepitas, and a shower of Parmesan.

Crème Anglaise

The silky French vanilla sauce that goes with everything.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Mascarpone Cheesecake

An extra-silky filling (no water bath needed!) and a smooth sour cream topping make this the ultimate cheesecake.

Vodka Gochujang Pasta

This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.

Okonomiyaki Tater Tots

Crispy tots topped with savory-sweet sauce, mayonnaise, furikake, scallion, and katsuobushi.