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Northampton, MA
USA

Deanna F. Cook is a kids' cookbook and kids'  activity book author. She is the author of Cooking Class, Teddy Bear Doctor, The Kids' Multicultural Cookbook, and Kids' Pumpkin Projects. She is also the content director at Kidstir.com, a kids cooking kit, and a former editor at Disney, FamilyFun magazine, and Scholastic. 

Very Vanilla Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting

CarlTremblay-Pink_Cake_1243.jpg

Very Vanilla Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting

This classic yellow cake is sweet and buttery. Follow the basic batter recipe, and then bake it in any of the pans listed below.

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 4 eggs

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • 3 cups flour

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1⅓ cups buttermilk

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and lightly flour the cake pan(s) of your choice. We used two 8-inch rounds.

  2. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

  3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Beat in the vanilla.

  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat until just combined.

  5. Beat in half of the buttermilk. Add the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk separately, beating after each addition until just combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake according to the times listed below, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Baking Times
Two 8- or 9-inch round or square pans: 45 minutes
One 13- by 9- by 2-inch pan: 45 minutes
Two 12-cup muffin pans: 20 minutes

Buttercream Frosting

This sweet, smooth frosting goes with all kinds of cakes and cupcakes. Tint the whole batch a favorite color, or color just a portion of it to pipe on decorative swirls and designs.

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

  • 3 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 3–4 tablespoons milk

  1. Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until it’s nice and creamy.

  2. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, mixing at low speed.

  3. Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the milk and mix at low speed.

  4. Mix until the frosting is smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, you can add more milk a bit at a time to make it more spreadable.

Recipe from Baking Class by Deanna F. Cook. Photo by Carl Tremblay. Storey Publishing 2017.