Birthday Cake

It's March and all those June brides are having babies (count the months). When my Dad - who was a doctor here for 40 years - was practicing medicine in the 1950's, he would deliver an average of 40 babies between the months of March and April. Middletown hospital kept a cot for him as he sometimes delivered two or more in one day! Remember, that was before the pill!

So, for all you March and April birthdays here's one of our favorite spring birthday cakes. It's an easy one bowl cake and very delicious.

Orange Birthday Cake with Orange Frosting

2 3/4 cups cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4    teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

3/4 cup butter at room temperature

3 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup golden raisins, chopped

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 13x9x2 baking pan or two 9 inch cake pans.

Sift cake flour, soda and salt together into the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a mixing paddle. Add the rest of the ingredients in order into the bowl.

Blend on low speed for one minute scraping the bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for three minutes scraping the bowl frequently. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.

Bake the single layer pan for 45 to 50 minutes, the 9 inch cake pans for 30 to 35 minutes. Test for doneness with a tooth pick. Inserted in the center of the pan the tooth pick should come out clean.

Cool the cake(s) in their pans on a wire rack. Frost with Orange Frosting.

Orange Frosting

3 cups confectioners sugar

1/3 cup soft butter

3 tablespoons orange liquor or orange juice

1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel

With an electric mixer blend the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the liqueur or orange juice and orange peel. Beat until smooth.