I am making a cake for my friend's birthday tomorrow afternoon. Her sister gave me her favorite recipe and said she wanted to come help me make it tonight. Well she isn't answering her phone and hasn't contacted me about it and I have to start it or I won't have time to level it and fill it so it can settle tonight. Here is the problem! She gave me the recipe but there are NO INSTRUCTIONS!!! Can any experienced bakers tell me how to compile these ingredients?

2 cup flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1.4 tsp baking soda
1/4 shortening
1.5 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 squares baking chocolate
1 cup nuts

I am thinking that I need to cream the sugar and eggs and add the other wet ingredients and then slowly incorporate the dry ingredients which have already been sifted together. Does this sound right?

This recipe does not sound right to me. Did she give you the ingredients in the order they should be mixed? How many eggs? One quarter cup of shortening is not very much for the amount of flour. If you want to try it anyway, I would cream the shortening, melted chocolate, and sugar. Add in the eggs. Sift together dry ingredients and add alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry stuff. Stir in the nuts and bake at 350. HTH

I don't see any eggs listed in your recipe. Seems like an odd recipe, especially with just that small amount of shortening. I would agree with cookiemom's suggestions for the mixing method, though. Good luck!

oops I left out the eggs! 2 eggs. I agree about the shortening but she just called and verified the recipe to me and also read me the instructions. Its a betty crocker recipe from 1940 and it reads, mix all ingredients together and pour in pan. I am going to be up forever at this rate as it still has another hour to bake and it will take some time to cool down.

Good grief! This is why I stick to boxed cake! Thanks ladies!

If you have space in your freezer, put the cakes on a cooling rack and pop them in the freezer for about 30-40 min. It'll help cool it quicker but won't freeze it

Epic fail! The cake looks like an elephant sat in the middle of each pan. Completely slumped and beyond repair. So into the garbage they go and I go back to my boxed cake thanks to DH who made a last minute run to the store. looks like we were all right when we thought the recipe didn't look right!

No more experimenting with other peoples recipes only my own! I hope the cake can handle not having much time to settle tomorrow morning because I won't be able to stay up for another 2 hours.