Eggless Vanilla Cake

• 3/4 cups (140g) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups (375g) white sugar
• 2 cups (425g) nonfat Greek yogurt*
• 3/4 teaspoons (2g) baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups (282g) milk (any fat content is fine)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons (10g) vanilla extract
• 3 3/4 cups (450g) cake flour
• 3 3/4 teaspoons (15g) baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoon (5g) kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)

Chai Spiced Condensed Milk Buttercream Recipe

• 1 3/4 cups (381g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/8 cups (351g) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 tsp (4g) chai spice
• 1 1/2 pinch (2g) salt

Make the cake:

1. Ensure you have an oven rack in the middle position and heat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Spray or butter the entire pan. Cut a piece of parchment that covers the bottom and two sides. They can be any two sides as long as they're opposite from each other. It kind of creates a "hammock" so that you can lift the cake up. You'll get a little more leverage if you cover the longer sides vs. the shorter sides.
3. In a large measuring cup or bowl, add your melted butter, white granulated sugar, nonfat Greek yogurt, baking soda, salt, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until there are no lumps and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, sift in your cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk for 30 seconds to distribute the ingredients thoroughly.
5. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. While whisking gently, slowly pour the greek yogurt mixture in the center of the well. You'll be slowly pulling in flour from the ring of flour. Gently whisk until there is no visible flour and the batter is smooth. It's pretty thick so when you pour this into your pan, don't forget to tap it several times on the counter to remove the large air pockets.
6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
7. Bake for about 28-32 minutes.
8. Remove the cake, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 45 minutes.
9. Proceed with the video tutorial on instructions on how to construct the rectangular cake.

Make the Buttercream:

• Add your butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for at least 5 minutes, until it has become slightly paler in color and a little fluffier. (I sometimes just use butter cold from the fridge and by the time it's whipped up, it will be room temp. So don't stress about having your butter room temp for this buttercream, just make sure it's light and fluffy before the next step.)
• Add your condensed milk in thirds. Add the first third, whip on medium-high speed until completely combined. Repeat with the rest of the condensed milk.
• Add the chai spice and pinch of salt mix until combined. To reduce the amount of air bubbles, reduce the speed of your mixer to the lowest setting, and let it run for about 2-3 minutes. This should get rid of most the large air bubbles.