Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8 round baking pans or one 13x9 inch pan. Use cake bands on round pans. Or 24 cupcakes tins

In large mixer bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium for 2 minutes.

Stir in boiling water by hand (batter will be thin). Pour into prepared pans.

Bake cakes 30 to 35 minutes for round 8 pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

For cupcakes: Fill 2/3 full or they have a tendency to overflow. Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes.

Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire racks.

MF Notes: Following guidelines on Wilton.com each 9 cake pan takes about 5-1/2 cups batter. So this recipe (for 2 9) must yield 11 cups. This recipe for 6 servings yielded slightly more than 5 cups which made 2 8 rounds perfectly at about 1-1/2 deep/thick. Wiltons guidelines must be for much thicker cake. I prefer 1-1/2 I made an 8 square and scaled it down to 4 servings. That made exactly 4 cups batter, perfect for an 8 square pan (about 1-3/4 deep). For Mothers Day 2020 I made cupcakes (24). Filled too full. Overflowed. Sank a bit. As a result, I scaled down 25% and lowered leavening a tiny bit.