Strawberry Cake

2 c. flour ½ c. butter 1½ c. sugar 1 c. milk 3 tsp baking powder 2 eggs 1 tsp salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (8-inch) round pans. Have ingredients at room temperature. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and milk to dry ingredients. Beat for 2 min. Add eggs and beat for 3 min. Pour into pans and bake 25 to 30 min. until pick inserted comes out clean. Cool. Frost with Strawberry Icing.

Strawberry Icing: 1 egg white (at room temp) 8 T. powdered sugar ¼ tsp cream of tartar 1 pt. fresh strawberries, rinsed, cleaned, and towel dried

Beat egg white and cream of tarter in a small bowl until peaks form. Add ¼ c. crushed berries and beat at high speed. Add 6 to 8 T. powdered sugar, 1 spoon at a time. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Work quickly preparing this cake. Place the bottom layer in a serving plate. Spread with ½ c. pink icing and a layer of sliced berries. Add the top layer and use the remaining icing to cover top and sides. Slice the rest of the berries and place them on the top and sides of cake. Eat immediately before the berries slide off or refrigerate until ready to serve.

This recipe has always been worth doing my entire cookbook. Family calls it Gram Chapman’s Strawberry Cake. It is a Chapman original and over 140 years old. Handed down for generations by Chapman women, I am pleased to share it with you. A video company in New York City made a tape of me preparing this cake for educational television. The pink icing amazed the camera crew. When people eat it for the first time, it’s easy to tell by the look on their face that they want a second piece. Use strawberry cake for birthdays or family.