Red Velvet Cake
by Mary Rankin

1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 oz. red food coloring
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 ¼ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon soda

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Make paste with food coloring and cocoa, then add to butter. Add flour and salt alternately with buttermilk and vanilla. Put vinegar and soda in cup and mix gently. Add to batter and mix gently on low speed. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Frosting:
1 cup milk
5 tablespoons flour
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cook milk and flour over medium-low heat until thick and bubbly. Cool at room temperature. Cream butter and sugar. Add flour/milk paste and vanilla. Beat to spreading consistency.

White Butter Cake
by Lisa Barr

½ cup butter
¼ cup shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups sifted cake flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
5 egg whites, beaten

Cream first 4 ingredients. Add flour, baking powder and salt alternately with milk. Beat egg whites. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Lemon Chiffon Cake
by Rebekah Crider

7 eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cups water
½ cups vegetable oil
4 teaspoons lemon peel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Lemon Frosting:
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
4 ½ teaspoons lemon peel
dash salt
¼ cup lemon juice

Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In large bowl, combine flour sugar baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks, water, oil, lemon peel and vanilla; add to dry ingredients. Beat until well blended.
In another large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form, fold into batter. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets.
Bake on the lowest oven rack at 325 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert the pan, cool completely, about 1 hour.
Run a knife around side and center tube of pan. Remove cake to a serving plate. In a small bowl, combine frosting ingredients, beat until smooth. Spread over top of cake.

Original Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate Cake
by Sheila Bradburn

1 pkg. (4 oz.) Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate
½ cup water
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover bottoms of 3 (9 inch) round cake pans with wax paper; grease sides of pans. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on High 1 ½ -2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in melted chocolate and the vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir into batter. Pour evenly into prepared pans.
Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small metal spatula around cake layers. Cool in pans 15 minutes; removing layers from pans to wire racks. Discard wax paper. Cook cake layers completely. Spread Coconut-Pecan filling and frosting between layers and onto top of cake.


HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake
By Justin Espe

2 cups sugar1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Angel Food Cake
by Miriam Carter

1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 cup cake flour
1 ½ cups egg whites (about 12)
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt

Move rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Sift into medium bowl powdered sugar and flour, mix and set aside. In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Beat in granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed, adding vanilla and salt with the last addition of sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not under beat.
Sprinkle powdered sguar-flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time, over egg white mixture, folding in with rubber spatula just until sugar-flour mixture disappears. Push batter into ungreased 10 x 4 inch angel food cake pan (tube pan). Cut gently through batter with metal spatula or knife to break air pockets.
Bake 30-35 minutes or until cracks fell dry and top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately turn pan upside down onto heatproof funnel or bottle. Let stand about 2 hours or until cake is completely cool. Loosen side of cake with knife or long metal spatula; remove from pan.
Frost with Buttercream Frosting.

Buttercream Frosting:
8 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Beat together butter, half and half and vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add a bit more cream if needed for a softer frosting. Frost cake with Buttercream frosting.

Spice Cake
by Susan Knuffman

2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 ¼ oz.) plus extra for dusting pans
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs at room temperature
3 large egg yolks at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar (12 ¼ oz.)
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans. Combine spices in small bowl; reserve ½ teaspoon for frosting. Heat 4 tablespoons butter into 8-inch skillet over medium heat until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is light brown and has faint nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes. Add spices and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 15 seconds. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. In small bowl, gently whisk eggs, yolks and vanilla to combine. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream remaining 12 tablespoons butter with sugar and molasses at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl twice with rubber spatula. Reduce to medium speed and add cooled butter and spice mixture, ginger and half of egg mixture; mix until incorporated, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining egg mixture; scrape down bowl again. Reduce to low speed; add about one-third flour mixture, followed by half of buttermilk, mixing until just incorporated after each addition, about 5 seconds. Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour. Transfer batter to prepared pans. Zigzag tip of metal spatula through batter, pulling it to pan edges. Lightly tap pan against counter 3 or 4 times to dislodge any large air bubbles; smooth surface with spatula. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cake at room temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.

Frosting:
¾ cup butter, softened
¼ cup cream
Reserved spice mix
9 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat butter until smooth. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly add the cream and the vanilla. Add the reserved spice mix. Gradually add the remaining sugar. Beat in enough additional cream to reach spreading consistency.

Mocha Cocoa Cake
by Jeanne Runyon
3 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup sour cream
1-1/3 cups boiling water or hot coffee
FROSTING:
½ cup butter
5 cups confectioners' sugar
¾ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup baking cocoa
In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with sour cream to mixture. Mix on low just until combined. Stir in water until blended. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting: In large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, sour cream, cocoa and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Frost cooled cake.