Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Butter or spray two 8 inch round cake pans and coat with flour. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine water and sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Let cool completely (about 20 minutes in the fridge).

In a separate bowl whisk melted butter, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and the scrapings from the vanilla bean. Beat in eggs. Whisk in dry ingredients, until smooth.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cakes cool in pans until cool to the touch and then release them and fully cook on racks.