Basic cakes....

I tend to play more with my frosting than my cakes so you can either use a box cake mix to make it super easy and fast or I have a couple recipes for basic cakes. You can easily add any kind of extracts to flavor these basic cakes...banana, cherry, strawberry... there are tons in the baked goodies isle of your super market.

Chocolate cake:

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
2 (1 oz) squares semi sweet chocolate
1 1/4 cups flour (cake flour will make it fluffier)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. baking soda
Optional : 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Like with most cakes mix all wet ingredients on one bowl the dry in another. Once the wet are combined slowly beat in the dry
Bake 350 for 15-20 min

White Cake: (this one is a little long with the mixing but fluffy)

2 3/4 cups cake flour
4 t. baking powder
1 1/2 white sugar
3/4 t. salt
3/4 cup butter
1 cup milk
4 egg whites
1 t. vanilla
Optional: 1 t. almond extract

Sift together salt, flour, and baking powder.
In bowl beat egg whites until foamy gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar until soft peaks form (that means when you pick up your beater it will form a little peak that may flop over a tiny bit)
Cream butter and remainder (1 cup of sugar)
Slowly add in dry ingredients...then milk and extracts. Finally add in the egg mixture (soft peaks)

Bake 350 for 15-20 min