The recipe

Making the cakes:

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease two (8-inch-by-2-inch) cake pans, two (6-inch-by-2-inch) cake pans, and two (4-inch-by-2-inch) cake pans with butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, whole eggs, and egg whites and continue beating until combined, about 2 minutes more. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and whisk in the dry ingredients until just combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the buttermilk, taking care to get rid of any lumps at the bottom of the bowl. 

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cakes are baked through and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Check on them at the 20-minute mark, as they will bake at different rates. Cool completely. 

Make the frosting:

In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and salt, then slowly add the confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time. (You may want to cover your bowl to prevent sugar clouds!) After you have added 4 cups, mix in 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream. Continue to add sugar until 7 cups are combined, then repeat with the remaining sugar and cream. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream one tablespoon at a time. If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar. Mix until the desired consistency is reached. Add food colouring to the frosting, if desired. 

Assemble and decorate the cake: Using a large knife or cake leveller, cut any overflow off the cakes so that their tops and bottoms are completely flat and ready for stacking. Place a cake board or cake stand on a turntable or a flat, level surface. Carefully position the first bottom layer (8-inch-by-2-inch cake) on the centre of the board. Cover this layer with a nice, even layer of frosting. Carefully place the second 8-inch-by-2-inch cake on it. Cover that layer with another layer of frosting, and your base tier is complete! 

Next, add the cake dowels to support the weight of the incoming tier to prevent caving. Ensure that the dowels are the same height as the top of the second cake. If they are not, cut them with a pair of scissors. Place 5 dowels in total in the bottom tier: one in the middle, 4 in the corners, like the number 5 on a die. 

Place the first 6-inch-by-4-inch cake on the base tier and add a layer of frosting. Cover this with the second 6-inch-by-4-inch layer, then cover with frosting. Add 3 to 5 cake dowels to support the middle tier. Ensure they are the same height as the top of the middle tier (approximately 8 inches tall). 

Finally, add the two 4-inch-by-4-inch layers with a layer of frosting in between. At this point, the cake should be perfectly stacked and centred. 

Decorating the cake:

Add the largest, flattest icing tip such as Wilton Cake Icer