The minimal frosting on the outside exposes the cake layers — perfect for any occasion!

Spring is finally here! Though it may not feel like it. Wedding season is around the corner, Easter is this weekend, Mother's Day is a few weeks ago, graduations are soon (which means graduation invites and grad thank you's), and spring BBQs are upon us.

With all of those occasions, adorable and affordable invitations are a must-have. We all know how much I love a good, high quality invitation, especially ones that you can customize. Basic Invite allows you to change the color of pretty much all elements on the card with over 180 different color options and you can see your changes in the instant preview. That's insane! That's why when Basic Invite asked me to work with them to incorporate their invites, I jumped all over it. Why not work with a brand that not only has endless options for every occasion, but also so incredibly friendly and so fun to work with? ♥

2018 is the year I challenge myself in all aspects of my life and put more effort into doing the things that I love – so far it's been empowering. That's why this cake is here today. Let's throw a sweets party!

Now let's celebrate with some cake!

This naked vanilla cake completely blew me away.

After years of making cakes from-scratch with dairy (butter + milk), my expectations were pretty low when it was time for the taste-test. It was trial and error and batch #3 was just right – not even realizing that it's a vegan cake too! This is a huge three layer monster. It's fluffy, moist, not too sweet and has the perfect soft crumb.

The best part of naked cakes is that you can see each individual layer so you get get creative when decorating. Go ahead and make each layer a different flavor of frosting, add fresh fruit or flowers. The possibilities are endless.

Now let's get baking and celebrating!

Basic Invite is giving all Run Lift Eat Repeat readers a 15% off by using the code: 15FF51. Be sure to check them out on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

Naked Vanilla Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

COOLING: 1 hour

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 10

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Description

The minimal frosting on the outside exposes the cake layers — perfect for any occasion!

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Ingredients

CAKE

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup corn starch
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 and 2/3 cups coconut oil, melted
• 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

VANILLA FROSTING

• 1 cup shortening, room temperature
• 1 cup vegan butter (ie. Earth Balance sticks), room temperature
• 4 and 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/8 teaspoon (or pinch) of salt

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Instructions

CAKE

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour three 9-inch cake pans. Set aside.¹
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Sift together and set aside.²
• In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl for a hand mixer, combine the sugar, coconut oil, white vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium until until combined — about 2 minutes.
• With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the almond milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mixing each until incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
• Bake for around 28-32 minutes or until the cakes are baked through. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean or with light moist crumbs, it is done. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans before transferring to a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting.

VANILLA FROSTING

• With a hand or stand mixer, beat the shortening and butter together on medium for about 2-3 minutes, until light and creamy.
• Turn the mixer to low and add the confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time, combining before each addition. Once combined, add the vanilla extract. Add the milk slowly until the frosting has a spreadable consistency.³

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Notes

¹I have only tested this with 9-inch cake pans. If you use larger cake pans, the time will increase, if you use larger cake pans, the time will decrease.

²Be sure to sift the dry ingredients together. Sifting is KEY to make this cake.

³I used the full 1/4 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk for the frosting — if need be, add in 1 Tablespoon at a time (4 Tablespoons = 1/4 cup). If the frosting is too thin, add a little more confectioners sugar and if too thick, add 1 Tablespoon more of almond milk.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @runlifteatrepeatblog or tag #runliftandeat!

Thank you Basic Invite for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own. To receive 15% off your order, use the code: 15FF51

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