When my siblings and I were growing up, our mother made my sister, Dee, a special stroganoff dinner every year for her autumn birthday. I have continued that tradition, preparing this recipe for all my loved ones whose birthdays “fall in the fall.” I have been known to even quadruple it because it’s so easy, so drop-dead delicious, and because there are oh-so-many of us now. Everyone loves it, and the leftovers are divine.

For “afters,” this “never-fail,” moist, tender, yellow cake is my go-to. It’s equally delicious heaped with berries and cream; layered with lemon curd; topped with warm, spicy homemade applesauce, hot fudge sauce, warmed jam, maple syrup, any kind of ice cream; or spread with a cloud of creamy frosting.

I’ve included a recipe for silky, ultra-spreadable sour cream frosting. This is especially nice when using raspberry jam or lemon curd between the cake layers. (You’ll want to refrigerate any leftovers.)

But you don’t have to be that fancy. I recently made the single-layer cake pictured for a small birthday tea party, using half the recipe for both the cake and the frosting, then adding plenty of joyful little sugar sprinkles.

The friend I made the cake for is an 82-year-old minimalist who doesn’t like a fuss. So whether you do a little something for someone or create a layered, decorated masterpiece for a dozen guests, this is the cake you want to make.

Beef Stroganoff

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds round steak, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pound fresh button mushrooms, sliced
• 6 tablespoons red wine
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cans beef consommé or 2 1/2 cups strong beef stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• 8 ounces egg noodles
• 1 cup sour cream

In a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat and brown meat. Add garlic, onion and mushrooms, and sauté until soft. Add wine, lemon juice, consommé and season. Allow to simmer until meat is tender, 15-20 minutes.

Stir in egg noodles and cook, until noodles are al dente, 5-7 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in sour cream. Yield: 6-8 servings

Our Yellow Cake

• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer, cream butter. Add sugar gradually and beat until light-colored. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Sift together dry ingredients and add to batter, alternating with milk and beating after each addition. Beat for 1 minute. Pour batter into two buttered and floured 9-by-1/2-inch round cake pans or two 9-by-9-inch pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and invert cake layers onto cooling rack. Frost when completely cool.

Sour Cream Frosting

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sour cream and vanilla. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat these ingredients together until they are well combined.

Gradually add in confectioners’ sugar, starting with 3 cups. Continue to mix on low. Once incorporated, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until smooth.

If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more sour cream, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach a spreadable consistency. If it’s too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar a quarter cup at a time.

Karen Schneider cooks and writes in the village of Cundy’s Harbor. You can reach her at iwrite33@comcast.net or (207) 504-0545.