Green tree layer cake and icing

GREEN TREE LAYER CAKE AND ICING

One cup of granulated sugar, one-half cup of butter, three eggs, one cup
of milk, two and one-half scant cups of sifted flour, one teaspoon of
vanilla extract, two teaspoons of baking-powder. Cream the butter and
sugar together as usual, and then break in three eggs and beat until
very creamy. Add the flour and milk alternately, reserving a little of
the flour to add after the vanilla and baking-powder. Beat well and bake
in layer cake tins. The entire success and lightness of this cake
depends upon the beating of the sugar, butter and eggs. If these are
beaten long enough they will become as creamy and fluffy as whipped
cream.

*Icing for This Cake.*--One and one-half cups of confectioner's sugar
(not powdered), butter the size of a large egg, two tablespoons of
cocoa, one teaspoon of vanilla, moisten to make the mixture the
consistence of very thick cream. Cream or whipped cream may be used for
the mixing, but many like this icing when made with lukewarm coffee. The
sugar and butter are creamed together thoroughly and then the cocoa and
vanilla are added, and lastly the cream or coffee. This is a good
imitation of German tree cake. The icing on tree cake is an inch thick,
and it is marked to represent the bark of a tree. The way it is served
is with a little green candy on it, and it is really very delicious
although extremely rich. The thicker or rather firmer this icing is, the
better.