HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

I have always been a lover of the Fourth of July. It intensified when my dad was activated with the Army, and even more when my husband joined the Marine Corps. I am so proud of my country and countrymen.

So, every year I try to make it special. Even if there isn't an opportunity for us to have the "typical" celebration, I always make goodies and make sure we see a few fireworks. Two years ago Clark was home for his ten days in between his boot camp days and MCT (Marine Combat Training, I believe). We had this huge picnic where we cooked out and then went and parked the car at Tweetsie (a theme park in Blowing Rock, NC) and watched fireworks. It was amazing. Last year Clark's newlywed cousins came and visited us where we had a wonderful cookout and drove to Tweetsie once again. It became a sort of tradition.

Now that we're in a new town, we have to start new traditions! Our friends Jessica and Zach are coming to visit us to have a cookout and then walk downtown to experience the small-town celebration of Independence Day.

To add to our new traditions, I wanted to try a new recipe. I've never made a yellow cake from scratch, and what better way to do it then fix it up in a new and improved way to make it a Red, White, & Blue (yellow) Cake! This recipe includes: Three Layered Yellow Cake from scratch, and a Cream Cheese frosting, topped with some blueberries and strawberries! I'm so excited for this one!

YELLOW CAKE

SUPPLIES for the CAKE:

- 2 1/4 C All-Purpose, Unbleached Flour
- 1 1/4 C Sugar
- 3 1/2 TSP Baking Powder
- 1 TSP Salt
- 1 C Milk
- 1/4 C Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 C (1 Stick) of Butter or Margarine, softened
- 1 TBLSP + 1 TSP Vanilla
- 3 Eggs
- Wax Paper

DIRECTIONS for CAKE:

- Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut wax paper to fit the bottom of three 9" round pans. Spray the pans with cooking spray with the wax paper in the pans.
- Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the milk, vegetable oil, butter, and vanilla. Mix for approximately two minutes.
- Add the eggs and beat for an additional two minutes.

- Pour the batter into the pans lined with the wax paper. About two cups of batter into each pan. Do not worry if this doesn't look like enough. These are three thin layers of cake, but three layers just the same!
- Cook the cakes for 20 to 25 minutes. Make sure to check the middle of the cake with a tooth pick or knife, knowing that it has cooked all the way through.
- Cook the cakes on cooling racks for 10 to 20 minutes.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

SUPPLIES for FROSTING:

- 8 oz Cream Cheese (Low Fat, if you can!), softened
- 1 to 2 C Powdered Sugar
- 5 TBLSP Butter or Margarine, softened
- 1 TBLSP Vanilla

DIRECTIONS for FROSTING:

- While the cake is cooling or cooking, whichever makes you happier, start the frosting! Beat the Cream Cheese with the butter and vanilla until nicely whipped and soft.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar to the mixture. You can add more than two cups of powdered sugar if you need it. Mix until you reach a consistency/taste that makes you happy! I used about 1 1/2 C of the powdered sugar, but you may decide you want it sweeter, or not quite as sweet!


TO PUT THE WHOLE CAKE TOGETHER!!:

Supplies:

- Three layers of Yellow Cake
- Finished Cream cheese Frosting
- Fresh, Slivered Strawberries
- Fresh Blueberries

Directions:

- Put one layer of the cake on a plate or cake stand. Frost only the top of it. Spread Strawberries evenly over the frosted top.
- Put another layer of cake on top of the strawberries. Frost only the top of this layer. Spread blueberries evenly over the frosted area.
- Put the last layer of cake on top of the blueberries. Frost only the top, once again. Make it look pretty with strawberries and blueberries, designed as you wish!

If you want to frost the sides of the cake you may, but I chose not to. I wanted the layers to be seen, and I also think too much cream cheese frosting can be a little over-kill. This could always work for cupcakes! Make a variety with blueberries and strawberries and some with both!