Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease two 9-inch round cake pans.

In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. This should take about 3-5 minutes.

Add in the vanilla extract, mixing well. Then, incorporate the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Start and end with the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with a spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Once baked, allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

While the cakes cool, prepare the frosting by beating together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth and spreadable.

Once the cakes are completely cool, level the tops with a serrated knife if necessary, and place one layer on a plate. Spread a generous amount of frosting on top before adding the second layer.

Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting, smoothing it out with a spatula.

Now comes the fun part! Use food coloring to tint your frosting for decorating. Create cute animal features on the cake using your colored frostings and edible decorations.

To add some finishing touches, use candy eyes, fondant shapes, or piping to create ears, noses, and other facial features.

Once decorated, your animal cake is ready to be gifted! Consider placing it in a cake box for easy transport.