Rich Yellow Cake (whole eggs)
from Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, 1950s edition

"Tender, buttery tasting; will melt in your mouth. Especially delicious with a Clear Lemon or Clear Orange Filling and a luscious white coconut frosting. "

The American counterpart to the French génoise, the versatile layer cake appears at all celebrations. It can be dressed up or down, is rich and moist. This is a butter cake, which means that fat and sugar are beaten together to incorporate air. The creaming step gives the cake its characteristic velvety texture. Remember that fats cream to best volume at room temperature. The batter can also be used for cupcakes. (from Cooking A to Z)

For 2 9" layers or 13x9" oblong pan	For 2 8" layers or 9" square pan
2/3 cup 1 1/2 cups 3 (1/2 - 2/3 c) 2 1/4 cups 2 1/2 tsp. 1 tsp. 1 cup 1 1/2 tsp.	1/2 cup 1 1/8 cups 2 (1/3 - 1/2 c) 1 3/4 cups 2 tsp. 3/4 tsp. 3/4 cup 1 tsp.	soft shortening (half butter for flavor) sugar eggs sifted flour baking powder salt milk vanilla

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour the baking pans.

Cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Beat the eggs in thoroughly.

Sift together the dry ingredients and stir in alternately with the milk and vanilla. Add in the flour first and last.

Pour into prepared pans. Bake layers 30 to 35 minutes (square or oblong 30 - 40 minutes) until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. The cake should be starting to pull away from the sides of the pan and will spring back when lightly touched with the fingertip (no imprint will remain).

Remove from the oven and let stand in pan(s) 10 minutes. Then carefully loosen from one side with spatula. Tip and turn to let in air. Turn cake on wire cooking rack so it will not "sweat" and become soggy. Place another cooling rack on top and flip so the cake is right side up. If baking the cake in an oblong or square pan, you may leave the cake in the pan, but cool on a wire rack.

As soon as the cake is cool, spread desired frosting or filling between layers to the outer edge (if making a layer cake). Frost sides and top of cake with light sweeping strokes. Pull frosting from bottom up to top to make the cake look well shaped.