1. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside

2. Mix Vanilla with Buttermilk and set aside

3. Cream shortening with sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs and mix until smooth

4. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture alternating... starting with dry ingredients and ending with dry ingredients.  

5. Add boiling water and mix until smooth.

6. Bake in two greased and floured 8" round cake pans at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

7. Cool cake on racks for at least 10 minutes before removing from pans

8. Test cakes to make sure they remove easily.. if they look like they might stick.. try giving them another few minutes before removing.  

Recipe from LastMinuteCooking.com