1 2 3 4 CAKE!

When I was very small, Mama never used cake mixes. It was unheard of to find a recipe book that listed a box of cake mix as an ingredient. With just a few items from her kitchen cabinet, she could put together a cake that was light, moist, and crumbly. The layers would be separated by some muscadine jelly or blackberry jam (from the berries we gathered). On top would be a buttery vanilla icing with butter knife swirls.

She never referred to a recipe book. She told me that Home Economics was a course all of the girls took in high school to teach them the basics of nutrition and cooking. A standard cake recipe was one of the lessons and the recipe she had memorized.

Time marched on and soon Boxed Betty's ad campaign won us over. Mama added solidified vegetable oil and eggs to the mix. It didn't seem any quicker, but this was cooking at it's scientific best (we thought). Years later, when I asked her if she could recall the cake of my childhood, she had forgotten it. I WISHED I had written it down!

Well, someone DID write it down, and I've been able to find it in several places on the internet. Everything old is truly new again *smiles*

You may find you like it too, so I'll gladly share my version.

ONE * TWO * THREE * FOUR * CAKE

1 cup butter (or coconut oil)
1 cup soured milk
2 cups organic granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or lemon, almond, orange -- your preference)
3 cups cake flour (whole wheat finely milled)
4 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour pan(s). I like to use parchment paper as a liner, but it isn't required.

In a large bowl, cream oil and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks and add to creamed sugar and oil. Mix well.

Use large metal strainer to sift baking powder and flour into the egg/sugar/oil mixture. Do this a little at the time, stirring after each addition. Alternate this with adding the mil,. Again, beat well after each addition. Add extract.

In separate bowl beat egg whites. When they form stiff peaks, fold gently into cake batter. Fill pan(s) or tins and bake as follows:

If using 3, 9-inch cake pans, (or 4 8-inch pans) bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.
If using 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan, bake in 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
If making cupcakes, bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.

This can be served plain, with your favorite jam as a topping or with an icing of your choice.