Buttercup Cake

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/4 teaspoon orange extract

Instructions:

Cream the shortening. Add the sugar gradually and keep stirring until fluffy. Beat in the eggs. Sift the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and then stir a little of the dry mix into the wet mix, then a little of the cup of buttermilk, going back and forth between the two and mixing until both are used up. Finally, blend in all four flavorings. Pour into two well-greased and floured 9-inch pans. Bake at 350º F for 30-35 minutes.

(This cake has a slightly fruity kick; you can ice it with an icing that incorporates either lemon or orange to complement the extracts, OR it works just as well to use a rich chocolate or caramel icing. In the pictured example I used caramel-buttermilk icing.)