Boston Favorite Cake (made as cupcakes), from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
6 tb. butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and lightly flour a cupcake tin. Cream the butter until soft and add the sugar slowly, beating until light. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat to blend well. Sif the flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately blend the dry ingredients and the milk into the butter mixture in three stages, and beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir a third of the whites into the cake batter, and then gently fold in the rest.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes and cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack.
NOTE: the cake flour is key here, for it makes the cakes very light.
I frosted with a simple chocolate frosting.