1 1/2 c. butter
1 1/4 c. sugar
3 c. flour
2/3 c. milk
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking soda
4 lg. eggs
1 (12 oz.) jar raspberry preserves

Grease and flour 3 9-inch round cake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl mix butter and sugar until just blended. Increase speed and beat on high 10 minutes or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, add flour and next six ingredients. Blend until well mixed, scraping bowl constantly. Increase speed and beat on high two minutes.

Spoon batter into pans and spread evenly. Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes, then remove cake from pans and cool completely. Cut each cake into half horizontally. You will have six thin layers.

Prepare raspberry frosting. (I did this while the cakes are cooling, and by the time the frosting was done, the cakes are cooled. Of course, I had the cakes outside on the patio!)

Assemble cake: Cake layer, 1/3 cup preserves, cake layer, 1/2 cup frosting. Repeat layering, ending with cake layer. Frost sides and top, using all of the frosting that is left. Refrigerate cake.

RASPBERRY BUTTER CREAM FROSTING:

3 c. powdered sugar
2 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. raspberry preserves

In large bowl with mixer at low speed beat powdered sugar and butter until just mixed. Increase speed to high. Beat 10 minutes or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Gradually beat in vanilla and preserves. Beat until smooth.