1. Make the Cake:

1. Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Start and end with the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
5. Bake the Cakes: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

2. Prepare the Buttercream Frosting:

1. Mix the Frosting: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Beat for 2-3 more minutes until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. If it’s too thick, add another tablespoon of cream.
2. Color the Frosting: Divide the frosting into separate bowls. Tint some of the frosting pink for the bow, and leave some white for the face. If you need black for the whiskers and eyes, you can also tint some frosting black or use black fondant.

3. Assemble and Decorate the Cake:

1. Frost the Cake Layers: Once the cakes have cooled, place one cake layer on a cake board or serving plate. Spread a layer of buttercream frosting on top. Place the second cake layer on top and apply a crumb coat (a thin layer of frosting to seal in any crumbs). Chill the cake for about 30 minutes to set the crumb coat.
2. Apply Final Layer of Frosting: After the crumb coat has set, spread a smooth layer of white buttercream frosting over the entire cake.
3. Create the Hello Kitty Face: Roll out the black fondant to create two oval shapes for the eyes and a small rounded shape for the mouth. Shape the yellow fondant into a small triangle for Hello Kitty’s nose. Place the eyes, nose, and mouth on the cake to form Hello Kitty’s face.
4. Make the Bow: Roll out pink fondant or use pink buttercream to create a bow on the left side of the cake. You can make a simple bow by rolling the fondant into two loops and connecting them with a small strip of fondant in the middle.
5. Add Whiskers: Using black fondant or black buttercream, create three whiskers on each side of the face.

4. Serve and Enjoy:

• Slice and enjoy your adorable Hello Kitty cake! Perfect for any themed party or as a fun treat for Hello Kitty fans.