Have eggs and butter at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Spray four 8-inch or three 9-inch pans generously with baking spray.* Cut circles of parchment paper to fit pans and place one in the bottom of each pan. Spray again, lightly.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together; set aside. (You don't need a sifter. I use a fine strainer for sifting, just hold strainer above a clean bowl, add flour mixture and tap gently on one side to sift.)

Beat butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla and then eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

Add flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches, beating until smooth after each addition.

Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until golden, 25-30 minutes for 8-inch pans, 30–35 minutes for 9-inch pans. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes; invert cakes onto a cooling rack; let cool completely. Slice domed tops off cakes to level them, if needed.

Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Add ½ cup icing and spread to cover. Add another layer and spread with another ½ cup icing. Add third layer and repeat with ½ cup icing. Top with final cake layer. Frost entire cake with a very thin layer of icing. This is the crumb coat. The crumbs will be trapped and will keep your final icing layer crumb free. Let cake sit until crumb coat is dry.

Place a generous amount of icing on top of cake. Spread icing over top and down sides to cover completely, adding more icing as needed. Decorate icing with a swirly pattern as you proceed. Allow icing to set. Serve and enjoy the rave reviews.