Ingredients
- 2¼ cups cake flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour*
- ½ cups sugar
- 3½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 egg whites (½ cup)
Directions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour baking pan, 13x9x2 inches, or 2 round layer pans, 8 or 9x1½ inches.
- Measure flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, ⅔ cup of the milk and the vanilla into large mixer bowl.
- Blend ½ minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly.
- Beat 2 minutes high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.
- Add remaining milk and the egg whites; beat 2 minutes high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.
- Pour into pan(s).
- Bake oblong 35 to 40 minutes, layers 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool.
- If desired, frost with White Mountain Frosting or Chocolate Butter Frosting.
*Do not use self-rising flour in this recipe. When using all-purpose flour, add all milk in first step.
Note: For cupcakes, pour batter into paper-lined muffin cups, filling each ½ full. Bake 20 minutes.
Variations
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Filbert Nut Cake: Add 1 cup ground filberts or hazelnuts to ingredients in mixer bowl. Bake cake in layers. Fill layers and frost cake with Maple Frosting: In large mixer bowl, combine ⅔ cup soft butter, 2 egg whites, 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 4 cups (1 pound) confectioners’ sugar. Beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency.
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Lady Baltimore Cake: Bake cake in layers.Prepare White Mountain Frosting. For Filling: Mix 1 cup of the frosting, ½ cup finely chopped walnuts, ⅓ cup cut-up raisins and ⅓ cup figs, cut into strips. Fill layers with half the filling; spread remainder over top of cake. Frost side and top of cake.
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Lemon-filled White Cake: Spread oblong cake or fill layers with Clear Lemon Filling and frost with White Mountain Frosting. If desired, sprinkle frosted cake with about 1 cup flaked or shredded coconut.
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Pink Checkerboard Cake: After greasing and flouring layer pans, make circle dividers for center of pans by folding two 13x6-inch pieces of aluminum foil lengthwise twice, forming 2 strips, each 13x1½ inches. Shape strips into 4-inch circles; fasten with paper clips. Place foil divider in center of each pan. Divide batter in half. To one half, stir in ¼ teaspoon red food color. Fill center of one pan with pink batter and outer circle with white batter. Fill center of other pan with white batter and outer circle with pink. (Be sure batter in both circles is at same level.) Remove dividers. Bake. Fill and frost cake with Vanilla Butter Frosting; if desired, decorate cake with maraschino cherries.