Yellow Blender Cake

The batter for this basic golden-hued layer cake takes only a few minutes to throw together, and whirring the wet ingredients in a blender makes the recipe virtually failsafe. No stand mixer and careful creaming needed. The cakes do require a little more work than opening a box of store-bought mix, their taste and texture won’t disappoint. We use buttermilk, melted butter and just a couple tablespoons of oil for a moist, tender and flavorful crumb. Oil is 100 percent fat—butter is not, as it contains water and milk solids—and it remains fluid at room temperature, which contributes to a moister, softer crumb. Cake flour, which is low in protein, also helps keep the texture fine and and delicate. With vanilla extract as the only flavoring, this cake can be finished any way you like. Fill and frost it with vanilla, chocolate or coffee buttercream. Or put pastry cream between the layers and coat the cake with a chocolate glaze to make a Boston cream pie. Or, simply sandwich whipped cream and fruit jam between the rounds and dust the surface with powdered sugar.