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Every year for the past 17 years my cousin Jenn and I have each made a birthday cake for her sister, Michelle. It’s a tradition that we began to remember Michelle by.  You see she past away on April 22nd 17 years ago and we “buried” her on her actual birthday, the 25th. We’ve added June 15th for her mom and November 17th for my dad.  I don’t usually write about this, but for some reason this year I have the need to spell it out.

This is a simple recipe, but VERY adaptable to layer cake, cup cakes, sheet cake etc… and a family favorite.

 

CAKE
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 JUMBO eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons PURE vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

• Grease and “flour” pans.  I use cocoa instead of flour so the coloring matches.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Add eggs and beat well.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda.
• Add alternately flour mixture, vanilla and buttermilk until well blended and smooth.
• Pour into prepared pan(s).
• Bake 20-50 minutes depending on pan until center springs back and toothpick comes out clean.

FROSTING
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla
1/3 cup flaked coconut
2 cups powdered sugar

• Cream together cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
• Add vanilla.
• Add coconut.
• Add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.

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