1-2-3-4 Cake

Last weekend I made birthday cake for my friend Drew.  He had mentioned he liked funfetti cake, but by the time it was decided to have the party, I had finished grocery shopping for the day and refused to go again.  I have mixed feelings about food coloring.  It's fun but I know it's bad for you.  Anyway, I decided to make a plain cake with swirls of colored batter.  My newer cookbooks didn't have a white/yellow cake recipe, so I resorted to a cookbook published in 1930 and a recipe called 1-2-3-4 (Measure) Cake.  I made two colors of vanilla-flavored batter and one color of almond-flavored.  Older recipes assume basic cooking knowledge.  This one at least listed a temperature but not how many pans I'd need.  I guesstimated two large round pans, which was correct.  

My round pans aren't non-stick and I don't have much experience with cakes that have to be removed from the pan.  I lost a little to the edges.  Also, the cake fell in the middle, so I threw in a bit of Nutella and fresh strawberries before adding frosting and the next layer.

I dug out my 1985 chocolate cookbook for a delicious chocolate frosting recipe and added almond extract.  It was delectable and I wondered, yet again, why people buy frosting.  So easy to make and much tastier!

Forgot to take another picture until it was half-consumed.  The cake was a little dry around the edges, but the flavor was good.  I put it on the most colorful plate I own, to add to the effect.