Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 9 x 13-inch cake pan by spraying with cooking spray, or greasing and flouring.
In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, about 30 seconds each.
Add remaining ingredients. Beat 30 seconds at low speed to combine; continue to beat at medium high speed for 3 minutes. Batter should be light colored, smooth, and somewhat fluffy.
Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean. Baking time will vary depending on type of cake pan used.
Cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
In a large bowl, with electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.
If frosting seems too thick, beat in additional milk, ½ teaspoon at a time. If frosting is too thin, add powdered sugar, ¼ cup at a time.
Frost completely cooled cake. Frosted cake should be refrigerated.
Note: For 9 x13 inch cake, a half batch of frosting is usually enough, unless you like a lot of frosting.
Video
Notes
For a layer cake, divide batter between two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans. Bake 30-35 minutes.
Nutrition information is for cake and cream cheese frosting (whole batch).
If desired, substitute all-purpose flour for the white whole wheat flour.