First things first, preheat your oven to 335˚F. While that’s heating up, grab your electric mixer and combine all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda) in one bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites, 3/4 cup of buttermilk, 1/4 cup of oil, and vanilla extract.

Now, using your mixer, start adding the softened butter into the dry flour mixture. Mix until it looks crumbly—it won’t look smooth yet, but don’t worry! Next, mix the remaining buttermilk with the rest of the oil and pour that into the flour mixture. Keep mixing for a good 2 minutes—this will help create a nice, fluffy batter.

Slowly add the egg white mixture to your batter, but do it in thirds. After each addition, mix everything really well before adding the next bit. This makes sure the batter stays nice and fluffy.

Pour the batter evenly into two greased and lined 8-inch cake pans. Pop them into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Here’s a little trick—right when you take the cakes out of the oven, give the pans a quick tap on the counter. This helps even out any bumps. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edges to loosen them up. Move them to a cooling rack, or stick them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before frosting—it makes frosting them so much easier!

Start by whisking together the sugar and flour in a small saucepan. Cook it over medium heat for about 2 minutes—this helps take the raw taste out of the flour. Now, slowly add the milk and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let it cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency. Once thick, take it off the heat and let it cool completely. You definitely don’t want to mix this in while it’s still warm.

While that’s cooling, use a clean mixer to whip the softened butter for about a minute. Once the milk mixture is cool, add it in one spoonful at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then, throw in the vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Whip everything together until the frosting is smooth and creamy.

If the tops of your cakes are a little uneven, now’s the time to trim them so they’re flat. Place one cake on your serving plate, spread a nice layer of frosting on top, then add the second cake. Do a crumb coat first by spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake—this locks in the crumbs and makes for a cleaner finish. After that, use the rest of the frosting to fully cover the top and sides.

Cut into slices and serve! For a little extra flair, feel free to garnish with sprinkles, white chocolate shavings, or fresh berries. Enjoy!