Instructions: Citrus oils (lemon, orange, or lime), or orange or rose flower water

For 2 12 inch layers: (Bake 50-55 minutes)

For each 12 inch cake pan, double the entire recipe for the 9 inch layers.

You will have to make the recipe twice unless you have a large-capacity electric mixer.

To prepare pans: Parchment circles to fit cake pans (buy them precut or trace and cut your own.)

Butter-flavored vegetable cooking spray
Flour

Line two cake pans of the desired size with parchment, spray with butter-flavored vegetable cooking spray and dust with flour. Or use Bakers Joy, a fat-and-flour vegetable baking spray. (If you have only one pan, plan to bake half the batter at a time. Meanwhile, refrigerate remaining batter.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine milk, egg whites and vanilla or other flavoring in a glass measuring cup or bowl.

Beating on low speed, add a third of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Add a third of the milk mixture and repeat until dry ingredients and milk mixture have been used up. Beat on medium until smooth and creamy. Scrape batter into prepared pans, which should be half to two-thirds full. Tap pan gently on counter once to even top and remove large air pockets.

Bake cakes on rack in center of oven. Allow at least 2 inches between pans and away from oven walls so layers will bake evenly. Bake larger layers in stages rather than crowding (refrigerate filled cake pan until baking).

Bake until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cakes cool on rack about 5 minutes. Run a knife around edges to loosen. Invert cake onto rack and peel off parchment liner. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting and decorating.

Variation: For a poppy seed cake, use 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds for each 2 cups of flour and use a combination of vanilla and almond extracts.

If your mixers capacity is less than 5 quarts, make the frosting in 2 batches.

This recipe should be enough to frost and simply decorate a 3-tier wedding cake. For a single 8 inch cake or extra for touch-up or decorating, make a quarter of the recipe.

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