• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Coat three 8" round pans with cooking spray and line with parchment circles
• Sift together the dry ingredients into a stand mixer bowl
• In a medium bowl combine milk, eggs, egg yolks and vanilla
• Pour ½ of the milk mixture into the stand mixer bowl, add butter and mix on medium speed with paddle attachment for 4 minutes
• Add the remaining milk mixture in three additions, mixing 2 minutes after each addition
• Pour 24 ounces of batter into each pan
• Bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center, about 35 minutes
• Once done, cool cake in the pan for a few minutes then unmold onto rack to cool completely

Italian Buttercream

• Combine 4 oz of sugar with the egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer
• Combine the water with the remaining sugar in a saucepan. Cook the mixture until it reaches 240°F
• When the sugar syrup reaches 230°F, turn on the stand mixer with the whisk attachment to medium
• Stream the hot sugar into the whipping whites. Continue whipping until cooled to room temperature
• Once meringue is cooled, switch whisk attachment to the paddle attachment and start slowly adding the butter on medium speed. (This will look broken once all the butter is in, but keep whipping it will smooth out)
• Cream until smooth and light