Something Special Birthday Cake

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, sifted
• 4 eggs, separated
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup milk
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 grease 2 straight sided 9x12 round cake pans and line with parchment or wax paper.
• 3 cake: sift flour, measure carefully 2 1/2 cups and sift this again with the baking powder and salt onto waxed paper or another bowl.
• 4 beat the butter with electric mixer in a bowl until smooth.
• 5 gradually beat in 1 1/4 cups sugar until fluffy.
• 6 beat in yolks one at a time.
• 7 beat in vanilla, and almond extract.
• 8 on low speed alternately add flour and milk in 3 additions.
• 9 in yet another bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
• 10 gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form.
• 11 carefully fold the egg whites into the batter.
• 12 scrape the batter into prepared pans, spreading level.
• 13 bake for 30 minutes.
• 14 the top should spring back when lightly touched.
• 15 cool pans 10 minutes, then unmold on cake racks to cool.
• 16 icing: sift sugar and cocoa into a large bowl.
• 17 add butter, salt and vanilla.
• 18 beat on high until fluffy, adding drops of milk until desired spreading consistency is reached.
• 19 frost as usual.