Payton's baby shower!

My niece Payton had her baby shower on Sunday. She is due in July and having a baby girl. Can't wait for baby Eliza to get here. Payton got so many wonderful things. I will add more pictures soon. But wanted to share this recipe for the pink velvet cake; which I made into cupcakes.

Pink Velvet Cake
Ingredients:

• 1 cup Shortening
• 1-3/4 cup Sugar
• 2-1/2 cups Cake Flour
• 1-1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Cocoa Powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Vinegar
• pink food coloring

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large jelly roll pan (18X12) with shortening and lightly flour, or use nonstick cooking spray.

Sift together cake flour, salt and cocoa. Set aside.

In a seperate bowl, stir buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Add vinegar, stir and set aside.

Cream shortening and sugar together until fluffy. Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture until combined.

Pour batter into prepared jelly roll pan. Smooth the top with a spatula to even out. Bake for 20-23 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before icing. You can remove it from the pan if you like, I prefer to leave it in the pan. Ice with cream cheese frosting.
NOTE:  I made cupcakes: To make cupcakes line 24 cupcake  pan with liners. Fill 1/2 full with batter. These cupcakes will not have a dome top, so if you overfill them they will run. Bake at 350 degrees 17-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. You will have batter left over, so you can make more cupcakes if you like. I bake the remainder in a 4 or 6 " cake pan for about 15 minutes. When completely cooled, I crumple them into crumbs and sprinkle over the iced cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 stick of butter (room temp.)
• 1 8 ounce package cream cheese (softened)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 box powdered sugar or (1-lb. 4-cups)

Directions:
Mix butter & cream cheese until fluffy. Add vanilla & mix well, then gradually add powdered sugar.

ENJOY:

Pink Velvet Cupcakes

Some other baby shower pictures!

Cupcake Tower

Italian Cream Cake Balls

Cake Balls!

Baby bracelet I made for soon to be great niece!

For Baby Eliza Fitzgerald