Grown-Up Birthday Cake

yellow cake

• 2 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup olive oil
• 7 ounces raspberry jam, preferably homemade, but I used Bonne Maman

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Butter and lightly flour 2 nine-inch cake pans.
3. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
4. In a standing mixer, blend sugar and eggs on med-high for a minute. Slowly mix in vanilla, wine, and oil.
5. Gently fold dry ingredients into cake batter until smooth.
6. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until cake tester comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.
7. Spread jam on one layer; then top with the other. Frost top layer with icing (recipe below).

bittersweet chocolate buttercream icing

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Blend butter and sugar. Fold in cocoa and gradually add milk until it starts to look like icing. Mix in vanilla.