Great basic cake/cupcake recipe. Little changes: 1/2 c. butter and 1/2 c. shortening; 3 tsp (high-quality) vanilla extract; 2.5 tsp baking powder. And like others have said, the fats and sugar must be creamed for a long time, and scrape bowl down and beat well after addition of each egg. I made one 8"x8" pan for a small birthday party (split and made into 2 layers with buttercream frosting) and the rest as cupcakes for my husband to take to work. He said his coworkers were upset because there weren't enough for everyone to have seconds!

Reviewed On: Sep. 3, 2009