• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour three 8×2 inch round pans.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt for 30 seconds. Set aside.
• In another bowl, add the buttermilk, oil and vanilla.  Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, add the butter and mix at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to mix on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until lightened in color and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time mixing until the yellow of the yolk disappears.
• With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients (3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of liquid).
• After the last addition, mix just until combined. Be careful not to over-mix.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just few crumbs attached. Let cool 10 minutes and turn out.

For the Vanilla Buttercream

• Cream the (slightly softened) butter until smooth. Blend in the vanilla.Add half of the powdered sugar and most of the milk.
• Beat at medium speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated.Add remaining powdered sugar and milk and mix at medium speed another 3 to 4 minutes scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.
• I slow down the mixer to very slow. (#2 on the Kitchenaid) for 1 to 2 minutes. This will help eliminate air pockets in the buttercream. The texture will become very smooth.
• Yields approximately 4 ½ cups of frosting. Enough to frost a two layer 8 or 9 inch cake. Can be frozen in air tight container for at least three months . Thaw on countertop. If your buttercream is too thin, add more sugar. If the consistency is too thick, add a bit more milk.

Semi-Naked Cake Design

• Place the first cake layer on the cake base or pedestal. Spread with vanilla buttercream. Repeat for the next cake layer. Top with the third cake layer.
• Fill in any remaining gaps between the layers with frosting. Apply a thin coat of frosting all over the cake. Use a bench scraper to remove desired amount of excess frosting, so that the frosting is thin enough (in some or all areas) to see through to the layers beneath.
• As an optional step, we added a layer of frosting on top of the cake. Smooth the frosting on top, then, while rotating the cake on a turntable, use an offset spatula to create a spiral impression on top. Start in the center and spiral outward with each rotation.
• Decorate however you like! We topped ours with a few small roses before serving. Fruit is a great option as well!
• Store in an airtight container. We like to refrigerate all of our cakes until within a few hours of serving. However, the cake would be fine at room temperature for 1-2 days.