Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt; stir to blend.
Mix in sugar.
Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks crumbly.
Label and store in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature.
Makes 1 pakage mix. Each package makes two 8 or 9 inch layers or one 9 x 13 x 2 inch rectangle.
To Use:.
Pour 1 package of mix into a mixing bowl;.
add 3/4 cup milk and 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract.
Using either an electric or manual rotary beater, beat at slow to medium speed for two minutes (by hand, beat 3 minutes averaging 135 strokes per minute). Scrape the sides of the bowl frequently as you beat.
Add 2 eggs; beat 1 minute more (2 minutes by hand).
Grease and dust with flour your choice of pan(s); spread batter evenly in pans.
Bake round cake pans at 375 degrees F. for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
bake the 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool cake(s) for 10 minutes in their pan(s) before turning out on racks.
Variations:.
WHITE CAKE.
Follow the same directions as for Yellow Cake replacing the 2 eggs with 3 unbeaten egg whites. Use an electric mixer for beating.
SPICE CAKE.
Add to the package of Yellow Cake Mix: 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, and a pinch of ground allspice. Follow Yellow Cake directions.
EXTRACT FLAVORED CAKES.
Replace the vanilla in either the Yellow or White Cake recipes with 2 to 3 teaspoons of the extract of your choice. You may want to add a few drops of food coloring for the flavors like lemon, orange, or cherry, etc.
FRESH ORANGE CAKE.
Pour 1 package of Yellow Cake Mix into a bowl; add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange peel (1 teaspoon dried). Squeeze the juice from 1 large orange and add to it enough water to measure 1 cup. Add this orange juice to the mix, beat for 2 minutes as directed previously; add 2 eggs; beat and bake as directed.
CUPCAKES.
Pour cake batter into greased cupcake tins or tins lined with paper baking cups; fill 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Makes about 2 dozen.
NOTE: To prevent a cake from sticking to its pan, put the pan on a wet towel to cool as soon as you take it out of the oven.