The "Famous" Butternut Cake

I had only been married to my Alabama born late husband John a week or so, when his mother baked a butternut cake.

"What is butternut?" I asked.

"Butternut is YUMMY!" Was the answer.

My mother-in-law baked this cake for every birthday and special event I can remember (although for Christmas she always baked fresh coconut cake.) I continued the tradition and butternut cake became the "official" birthday cake for our family. My sons always ask for butternut cake and now the recipe has been passed to another generation.

I give it to you, dear Readers so you can try it for yourselves. Let me know what you think! Enjoy.

BUTTERNUT CAKE

Oven 350 degrees

1 Cup butter
2 Cups sugar
4 eggs
1+1/2 Cups self-rising flour
1+1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Cup milk
1 Tablespoon butternut flavoring (see note below)

Cream butter and sugar together then add eggs, cream. Sift flours together and add to the creamed mixture, add milk, alternating with flour. Add flavoring last and beat until smooth. Bake in 3- 9 inch round baking pans (sprayed with pam and lined with waxed paper.) Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan.

BUTTERNUT ICING

1/2 Cup real butter, softened
1-8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1-1 pound box of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon butternut flavoring
1 Cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and cream cheese. I use a mixer and beat until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating after each addition. Beat in flavoring and chopped pecans.

TO ASSEMBLE CAKE

Turn a cooled cake layer out on a plate, frost with butternut icing. Continue adding second and third layers and frost top and sides of cake.

Note: When I am in a hurry, I use a good yellow cake mix and add a tablespoon of butternut flavoring to the liquid in the mix. I sometimes make a sheet cake instead of a layer cake.

Note: Butternut flavoring is sometimes a little difficult to find. I once made the mistake of picking up a bottle of butter and nut flavoring in the grocery store that was not the same thing. Butternut flavoring is a bright neon ORANGE color which produces a bright sunny yellow cake and icing. Superior "The Original" vanilla, butter and nut flavoring is one brand and I can sometimes find Happy Home brand (Southern Flavoring Co. out of Bedford, VA) at some stores and produce stands in Virginia. Happy Home will say "Imitation Butter & Nut" on the label. Remember: it has to be bright orange in color.