Birthday Cake

On February 14, 2009 my grandmother went home to be with the Lord.  During the time right after her death, I was able to spend time with my family and gather some recipes that were family favorites.  One of the recipes I found that I knew that I wanted to keep handy was the "Birthday Cake" recipe.  I faithfully copied it down, word for word, then tucked it away so that I would be able to find it when I was ready to pull it out and make it.

Four years later, I finally had an occasion to make it.  In April my younger sister, and Little Man's Auntie J, celebrated her 18th birthday.  A couple weeks after her birthday, the family came down to visit and I finally made the cake.  

Auntie J has been going through a pink and zebra print thing lately, so I decided to go with that for the cake.

The pink didn't come out quite as pink as I would have liked, and the frosting wasn't quite what I wanted, but the cake itself tasted great.  The recipe calls for red food coloring, and to make three layers, but I opted for two layers and the zebra type pattern (made by adding a scoop of one color, then the other right in the middle, continuing until the pan is approximately 2/3 full).

Repaal Birthday Cake

• 2/3 c butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 cups sifted cake flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup thin milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar

Lightly cream butter and sugar. Sift flour and baking powder three times. Add milk, lemon juice, almond extract and vanilla extract alternately with flour.

Beat egg whites until they hold a point and gradually beat in sugar, continue until stiff and glassy. Fold meringue into batter.

Pour 1/3 of batter in a bowl. Blend in 5 drops red food coloring.

Red layer goes between two white layers.