1) Yes, I use cake flour occasionally. I look forward to trying the new, chemical-free King Arthur Unbleached version--whether or not I win a free box! 2)I'd bake a special cake for my son, who is now deployed in Iraq. And speaking of cakes and Iraq--I recently asked for tips on the Baking Circle for sending him a birthday cake and got some great advice. I baked my family's favorite cake--Mom's Buttermilk Chocolate Cake--in a 13x9 foil pan. I'd heard that shipping frosted cakes is not a good idea--sending a can of frosting was recommended--but I decided to risk it. I used my Fast Fudge Frosting, made it a little stiffer than usual, and covered it with non-stick foil, just to keep it neat in case it melted. I covered the whole thing with the plastic cake cover that came with the pan, filled the space with tissue, and taped the cover down. That went into a larger box with a large piece of cardboard covering the cake, leaving plenty of room for party supplies on top. The cake arrived in six days, in great shape, frosting and all, and was a big hit with my son's friends. When he gets back, hopefully in a few months, I'll be able to make him a fancier cake--maybe the beautiful raspberry layer cake in this post! I may have to do a test run as soon as the new flour appears on my supermarket shelf, though...

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