Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray bottom and sides of (3) 8-inch baking pans. Set aside.
Beat butter and oil together until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated.
In a small bow, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
Alternate adding part of the flour with part of the milk beating just until combined.
Stir in the almond and vanilla extracts.
Divide batter evenly between the three prepared pans. Tap each pan on the counter to remove air bubbles.
Bake in preheated oven until top bounces back when touched, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Flip cakes out onto wire rack and cool completely.
Level the top of each cake with a serrated knife.
Place first layer, cut side down, on a plate. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge.
Fill the center with filling or additional frosting.
Duplicate with the second layer.
Place the top layer on the cake and cover with a heavy layer of buttercream.
For a scraped look, run a bench knife around the side of the cake to smear the frosting.
Trim rose stems and place them on top of the cake.
Serve immediately.
Notes
For the layers to be exactly even, you need to use identical sized pans and weigh them.
Whole milk adds fat, so your cake will be more moist than my cake which was made with unsweetened Cashew milk.
A stand mixer is advisable given the amount of beating time that is required. A hand mixer will work, just don't skimp on the amount of beating!
I used almond and vanilla for a traditional "wedding" cake taste. Feel free to substitute any flavor that you would like.
If you love frosting, then you will want to frost between the layers!!
If you would like to frost between the layers instead of using a filling, you will need two full batches of Buttercream Frosting.
If you would like to split each layer and frost between them, you will need even more frosting, lol
Each oven is different. I baked 2 cakes at the same time, and they ended up lop-sided in opposite directions even after rotating them half-way through. I baked the third cake by itself, and it turned out perfectly level.
Because the sides are not protected by frosting, they will dry out quickly. Assemble right before you are ready to serve it.