I’m 100% a chocolate girl. Vanilla just doesn’t do it for me.

But after spending Saturday cleaning my apartment, I wanted to bake something simple and just perfect to celebrate a great weekend. So I decided on vanilla and I knew I needed a serious vanilla recipe. So I opened my Magnolia Bakery cookbook and found the easiest and best “Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake.” They say…

“At Magnolia we decided to make our cake not quite a transitional yellow cake or a traditional sponge cake, given the use of whole eggs in our recipe. we’ll sure you’ll agree this recipe is moist, delicious, and makes a beautiful layer cake or cupcakes for birthdays or any celebration.”

They were a big hit and exactly what I hoped for. I’ll be enjoying them tonight while watching the Oscars. Come on, give vanilla a shot…

Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake – Adapted from Magnolia’s

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth.
3. Gradually add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time.
5. Mix the vanilla into the milk.
6. Alternate between adding the flour and the milk into the wet mixture, beating well after each addition.
7. Spoon batter into cups and bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20 minutes.

Magnolia prefers buttercream frosting but I used my favorite cream cheese frosting instead. Delish.