GETTING READY

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

2. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans and set aside.

MAKING

For Cake:

3. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.

5. Add egg yolks, one at a time to the butter mixture and beat after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

6. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, and beat after each addition until are incorporated, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat batter until smooth.

7. Into the prepared pans, equally pour the batter and bake for 25-30minutes or until center springs back when lightly pressed.

8. Remove cake pans from oven and place on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Transfer cakes to wire rack and let cool completely. You can also place in refrigerator to speed up the process.

For Creamy White Mountain Frosting:

9. In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt. Stir and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and cook until the syrup reaches 242 degrees F.

10. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat until stiff peaks form.

11. Pour hot syrup into egg whites in a very thin stream, beating all of the time at high speed of an electric mixer. Beat until frosting is stiff and glossy. Beat in vanilla. Reserve 1 ½ cups of frosting and pop the remaining in refrigerator.

For Lord Baltimore Filling:

12. In a bowl, combine coconut, pecans, cherries, orange rind, and almond extract.

13. Fold in the 1 ½ cups of reserved creamy white mountain frosting. Pop in refrigerator until cake cools.

FINALIZING

14. Place one layer of cake on a cake plate and top it with Lord Baltimore filling.

15. Put second layer on top of filling and frost sides and top with remaining refrigerated frosting.

SERVING

16. Decorate cake with pecan halves, candied red cherry halves, and triangles of orange, if desired. Cut into wedges and serve.