Best Buttermilk Birthday Cake

This is a cake that my kids request for their birthdays almost every year. It is a vanilla cake that we top with a chocolate or lemon icing.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 12-14

Ingredients

• 2 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1⁄4 cup butter, softened
• 1⁄4 cup butter flavor shortening (Crisco)
• 2  eggs
• 2  tablespoons pure vanilla extract (I have also used vanilla, butter & nut extract for a richer flavor)
• 2  cups buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour 2 nine inch round cake pans.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, shortening and sugar together and whip until creamy. Do not overbeat.
4. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract.
5. Slowly add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine well.
6. Add buttermilk and stir until combined.
7. Add the remaining flour mixture and stir until all ingredients are well mixed. Again, be careful not to overbeat.
8. Pour into prepared pans.
9. Reduce oven temp to 300 and bake for 40-50 minutes until cake is done in the middle.
10. Cool and frost with your favorite icing.