Eggless Raspberry Vanilla Layer Cake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line three 6-inch (15-cm) round cake pans with parchment paper. Lightly grease with baking spray with flour.Note: You can also bake in two 8 or 9-inch rounds pan if I want a simpler version without stacking too many layers. Just keep an eye on baking time—it’ll vary depending on the pan size and how much batter is in each.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl.

In a mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar. Let the mixture rest for 5 to 8 minutes, until thickened and curdled. Add vanilla extract. Set aside.

Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 4 minutes, until creamed and pale, scraping down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Split the vanilla beans and scrape the seeds into the creamed mixture; discard the beans. Add the yogurt and vanilla seeds and continue beating to combine, about 1 minute.

Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until just combined, 30 to 45 seconds. Do not overmix.

Evenly divide the batter among the prepared pans.

Bake for 23 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, then remove from the pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely, right-side up, on wire racks before removing the parchment paper.

To frost this cake, I used my eggless Swiss Meringue Buttercream, which is light, silky, and not too sweet. You can find the recipe in my cookbook: The Simply Eggless Cookbook (page 152). Alternatively, you can use American buttercream, or even whipped frosting for a less sweet version.

Level the tops of the cakes with a cake cutter or a long, serrated knife as needed.

Line the edges of a cake platter with four strips of parchment paper to keep the platter clean.

Place the first cake layer on the platter. Spread 1 cup of buttercream evenly over the top, then spread about half of the raspberry jam over the buttercream. Top with the second cake layer, pressing lightly to adhere. Repeat to add the third layer.

For a no-fuss decoration, spread the remaining buttercream evenly over the top and sides of the cake. If desired, while spinning the cake turntable, run a small spatula from the bottom to the top of the cake's side to create a design in the sides of the cake.

For the Ombre decoration: After layering the cake, divide the remaining buttercream into three equal amounts to create the ombre effect shown here. Add paste food coloring to each batch to create three shades of the same color frosting.Spread the darkest-colored buttercream over the bottom third of the sides ofthe cake, the medium-colored buttercream over the middle third, and the lightest-colored buttercream over the top third and the top of the cake. While spinning the cake turntable, run a small spatula from the bottom to the top of the cake's side to blend the frosting colors. Then run the spatula over the top of the cake, working from the outside in, to create a spiral.

Top with fresh raspberries. Remove the parchment paper and serve.