Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups (310g) All-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) Granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp (12g) Baking powder
  • ½ tsp (3g) Salt
  • ¾ cup (170g) Unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (240ml) Whole milk, room temperature
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) Vanilla bean paste
  • 2 cups (450g) Unsalted butter, softened
  • 6 cups (720g) Powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3 tbsp (45ml) Heavy cream
  • 1 tsp (5ml) Vanilla extract
  • 1 drop (1ml) Red food coloring

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
  2. In one large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Add softened butter, room-temperature milk, eggs, and vanilla bean paste to the dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula, and bake for 30-35 minutes until the edges pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  5. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.
  6. Whip together the buttercream ingredients (butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract) until fluffy.
  7. Apply a thin crumb coat of buttercream to the cake and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  8. Apply a final thick layer of white frosting, smoothing with an offset spatula. Use red-tinted frosting to pipe a heart or medical cross, and white frosting to pipe 'RN' or 'Congrats Grad!'.