Recipe - Champagne Celebration Cake

4 cup Flour
3 cup Sugar
5 teaspoon Baking powder
One half teaspoon Baking soda
1 2/3 cup Milk
1 cup Shortening
One half cup Champagne
1 tablespoon Vanilla
12 Red food coloring (optional)
8 Egg whites
9 tablespoon Champagne
Edible carnations

CHAMPAGNE BUTTERCREAM
Three fourths cup Shortening
Three fourths cup Butter or margarine
1 tablespoon Champagne
4 One half cup Powdered sugar
Red food color

Grease and lightly flour one 9" round pan and one 13x9x2 pan; set aside. In
a very large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and 1/4
teaspoon salt. Add milk, shortening, One half cup champagne, vanilla, and, if
desired, red food coloring. Beat on low to medium speed about 30 seconds or
just till combined, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed 2
minutes. Add unbeaten egg whites; beat 2 minutes. (Batter may appear
slightly curdled.) Spread 2Three fourths cups batter in 9" pan and remaining batter
in 13x9x2 pan. Bake at 350~F 3035 minutes for round cake and 4045 minutes
for rectangular cake or until cake tests done. Cool cakes in pans on racks
10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. Using cardboard circle
patterns of 4 and 6 inches, cut one 4inch and one 6inch cake layer from
the 13x9x2 cake. If desired, drizzle 3 tablespoons of champagne over the
top of each round cake layer. Place the 9inch cake layer on a serving
plate; frost sides and top. Lining up the backs of the layers, place the
6inch cake on top of the 9inch cake; frost sides and top. Repeat with
remainging 4inch cake. If desired, tint any remaining frosting; decorate
with tinted frosting and flowers. Serves 24.
CHAMPAGNE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING: In a bowl beat shortening and butter or
margarine until combined. Beat in champagne or cream sherry. Beat in sifted
powdered sugar and a few drops red food coloring. If necessary, beat in
additional champagne or cream sherry to make frosting spreading
consistency. Makes 3Three fourths cups.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini