White Cake and Best Icing Ever

Cake:

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• Sprinkles, if desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
5. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
6. Stir in the milk until batter is smooth.
7. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
   

Icing:

Ingredients

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 package instant pudding mix
• 1 tsp extract
• food colouring, if desired
• Sprinkles, if desired

Directions

1. Whip whipping cream in a kitchen aid mixer until stiff peaks form.
2. Add in pudding mix and extract of your choice and continue whipping, add a bit of milk if icing becomes too thick to spread.
3. Mix and match pudding flavours and extracts for variety. (examples: vanilla pudding mix and vanilla extract, chocolate pudding mix and peppermint extract, lemon pudding mix and lemon extract, white chocolate pudding mix and vanilla extract. 

 I made this cake in 2 long 9X13 pans and then cut them into pj shapes when my girls' school did "The Pajama Game" as their musical. This was their "cue to cue" treat. I used white chocolate pudding mix, vanilla extract, purple food colouring, and yellow and mint candy melts to decorate. The purple outline was done in purple candy melts-melted and piped in a ziploc bag.

Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 4 medium)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup milk
• FROSTING:
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups icing sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.
2. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
3. For frosting, in a small bowl, beat peanut butter, milk and vanilla until blended; gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread over cake.