Desserts recipes
Strawberry Ribbon Cake Desserts

It's perfect for your best valentine or a birthday celebration any time
Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes. Makes one 8-inch four-layer cake

3 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon red food coloring
Strawberry butter cream (recipe follows)

Strawberry butter cream

1 package (3 or 4 ounces) cream cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1/3 cup mashed fresh strawberries
1 package (1 pound) 10X (confectioners' powdered) sugar

Grease two baking pans, 8x8x2; dust with flour. Sift cake flour, baking powder, ans salt onto wax paper. Cream butter or margarine until soft in a large bowl; beat in sugar gradually until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until fluffy again, then flavorings.

Stir in flour mixture, alternately with milk, just until blended. Spoon half the batter into one pan; stir food coloring into remaining batter; pour into second pan. Bake in moderate oven (375°F) 35 minutes, or until centers spring back when pressed with fingertip. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; turn out onto racks; cool completely.

Split each cooled layer; put together, alternating pink and yellow, with part of the strawberry butter cream; frost sides and top with remaining.

Strawberry butter cream

Blend cream cheese with butter or margarine until fluffy in a medium-size bowl; beat in strawberries. Stir in 2 cups of the 10X sugar until smooth. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the mixture for filling. Beat remaining 10X sugar into remaining mixture in bowl for frosting.