White Cake

Isn't that a creative name??

This is an old-fashioned, heavy but not dry cake. Delicious. Mom always says it is just like the birthday cakes her mom used to make. I like to make it into cupcakes, as you can see.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 tsp vanilla
4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add milk, shortening and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds or until well blended, scraping side of bowl once. Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Add egg whites; beat 2 minutes more, scraping bowl once. Grease and flour bottoms and sides of 2 (8-inch) round or square cake pans or 1 (13x9-inch) cake pan (or 24 muffin tins). Pour batter evenly into pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes for 8-inch round or square cakes or 35 to 40 minutes for 13x9-inch cake (or 20 - 25 minutes for cupcakes). Cakes are done when toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Loosen sides of cake layers from pans with knife or metal spatula. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Butter-Cream Frosting

1 16-ounce pkg icing sugar (about 3 cups?)
6 tbsp butter or margarine, softened (use butter - you'll be glad you did)
3 to 4 tbsp milk or half-and-half
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed (or with spoon), beat all ingredients until very smooth, adding more milk if necessary to make of good spreading consistency. Fills and frosts 2-layer cake; frosts 13x9" cake, tube cake, or 2 dozen cupcakes.

~ Charmin