Leyna's Birthday Cake

When I asked Leyna what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday she said "yellow." I told her I was already planning on making the icing yellow, but did she want the cake part to be chocolate, or strawberry? "No, yellow." Okay! I referred to my Betty Crocker cookbook and found the easiest cake recipe ever. And do you know what? It was SO GOOD! We had lots of compliments and requests for the recipe, seeing as kids who don't usually eat cake gobbled up a whole piece and asked for more! I filled the cake with homemade strawberry freezer jam and I used a Buttercream Icing, also from the Betty Crocker cookbook. I used all-natural vegetable dyes for the icing and the colors turned out nicely since I didn't need to mix them at all (I tried using vegetable dyes for Cora's green caterpillar cake and it just didn't work out. The particular shades of blue and yellow just don't make green.)
It was a cinch and I'm definitely gaining confidence in my birthday cake making abilities :) Here are the recipes:

Starlight Yellow Cake
(from Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Bridal Edition)
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 C butter or stick margarine, softened
1 1/4 C milk
3 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t salt
1 t vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease bottom and sides of rectangular pan, 13 X 9 X 2 inches, 2 round pans 9 X 1 1/2 inches, or 3 round pans, 8 X 1 1/2 inches with shortening and lightly flour.*
Beat all ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly.
Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally; pour into pan(s).
Bake rectangle 35 to 40 minutes, 9-inch rounds 25 to 30 minutes, 8-inch rounds 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.
Cool rectangle in pan on wire rack; cool rounds 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack.
Cool completely, about 1 hour.
Frost as desired.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
(from Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Bridal Edition)
3 C powdered sugar
1/3 C butter or stick margarine, softened
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 to 2 T milk

Mix powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 T of milk.
Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Frosts 13 x 9-inch cake generously, or fills and frosts an 8 or 9 inch two-layer cake.