Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare three 8-inch round pans with baker's floured spray (or grease and line with parchment rounds).

Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle (or mixing bowl with a hand mixer or whisk)  until fully combined.

Mix bits of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.

Pour in eggs and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk slowly, on a low speed. Add in vanilla, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.

Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (I find a kitchen scale helpful for this part). This guarantees your layers will bake to be the same height.

Bake for 34-37 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Allow cake layers to cool for 10-15 minutes on a wire cooling rack before removing from pans. Cool completely before frosting - set in the fridge or freezer to accelerate the cooling process if desired.

Once the layers have fully cooled, they can be leveled and any caramelized bits can be trimmed from the sides / top of the cake using a serrated knife if desired. Be sure the layers are completely cooled or chilled before trimming so they don't crumble or break. (Meanwhile, make your frosting!)

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until the icing is thick enough to spread. (Leftover icing freezes well for up to two months.)

Place a smear of frosting on your cake circle (to keep the cake from sliding while you decorate it) and center your first cake layer in the center of the circle. Spread the layer with frosting. Repeat the process with your remaining cake layers.

Now you're ready to crumb-coat . If you're unfamiliar with crumb-coating, it's just what it sounds like – spreading a thin layer of frosting over the entire outside of the cake to keep crumbs out of your final layer.

Once your crumb coat has set (this takes about 5-10 minutes in the fridge), add your final layer of frosting and smooth – I didn’t spend a ton of time getting it super smooth; there’s no point if you're going to texture it!

Now for that texturing – I found this the easiest to do with a warm offset spatula; it helps keep the edges of the ridges from getting too torn and rough. Heat a mug of water in the microwave for 45-60 seconds, until fairly warm to touch. I found it easiest to begin at the base of the cake and work upwards. Drag the tip of the spatula around the outer edge of the cake, working your way up a layer at a time. I found that stopping every half-turn or so to scrape and re-warm my spatula gave me the best results!

Top with leaves and flowers if you’d like – I kept the cake in the fridge to make sure the texturing on the outside of the cake stayed in place.