Champagne cake bubbles with taste

For wedding parties, showers or school graduations, a toweringChampagne cake is a delicious choice. The recipe doesn't include anybubbly, but imagine four cake layers filled with sherry andrum-flavored cream and covered with a buttercream frosting.

If you like, you can make the cake layers in advance and freezethem. The cake should be filled and frosted a few hours beforeserving, to make slicing it easier.

I was just planning to try the recipe for Champagne cake when Inoticed Maggie Kriz' request in Swap Shop, so I'm sharing it. CHAMPAGNE CAKE

2 1/4 cups cake flour 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided 1tablespoon baking powder Pinch of salt …

EU Leaders Endorse Reform Treaty

LISBON, Portugal - European Union leaders endorsed a reform treaty Friday to replace their failed European constitution and give the 27-nation union a more influential say in world affairs, diplomats said.

The new treaty will take effect in 2009 if it passes national parliamentary votes and referendums.

"With this new treaty, Europe has overcome an impasse that lasted for several years," said Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, who hosted the EU summit.

"Europe has emerged stronger from this summit, stronger to face global issues, stronger to take its role in the world and also to increase confidence in our economy and in our citizens," he told reporters. …

Russian economy continues to slide

Russia's economic downturn showed no signs of slowing in May, with preliminary figures released Tuesday revealing an 11 percent annual contraction in the economy during the month.

The slide in gross domestic product was worse than the 10.5 percent annual drop in April. During the first five months of the year, the economy shrank by 10.2 percent compared with last year, Deputy Economy Minister Andrei Klepach said.

Russia has been the hardest hit of the major developing economies as oil prices plunged last year and demand for metals dropped off. It is widely expected that second quarter GDP figures will show the economy is in a technical recession _ often …

Henry E. Norton, 64, Chicago Chop House Owner

Henry E. Norton, 64, owner of the River North area's Chicago ChopHouse restaurant, died Tuesday in Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Mr. Norton, of the Near North Side, left the advertising tradein 1959 to begin a career operating lounges and restaurants. Hisfirst venture was Easy Street, a downtown area watering hole. Forthe next 25 years, he operated establishments including Alfie's, Gateof Horn, Le Pub and Shuckers.

In answer to trendy nouvelle cuisine, designer pastas and aproliferation of Asian restaurants, he founded the Chicago ChopHouse, a meat and potatoes eatery, in a rehabbed graystone buildingat 60 W. Ontario, in 1986.

A Chicago Sun-Times …

INTERNATIONAL TWIST

Auntie Anne's grows globally

The pretzel is arguably an icon of Central Pennsylvania, from the hard pretzels at Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery - the first commercial pretzel bakery in the country - to the soft, salty creations sold at farmers markets and street fairs.

So it's only fitting that a Lancasterbased company has taken the soft pretzel and gone global, making it possible to snag one in places as diverse as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and South Korea.

"In most cases - maybe all cases - we've been the first pretzel to come into that market," said Michael McCoy, director of franchise development and international relations for Auntie Anne's Inc. 'And when we do that, …

Hundreds of activists stage protest in Malaysia against Myanmar referendum

About 500 Myanmar activists demonstrated Saturday outside their country's embassy in Malaysia, demanding that Myanmar's military regime call off its constitutional referendum even as voting began despite a devastating cyclone.

The protesters, who included dozens of women and children, waved placards saying "We want democracy", "No is our vote", "Stop the junta" and "Don't hold the referendum during mourning days."

Most of them wore red T-shirts bearing the word "No". Several people gave speeches and the crowd kept silent at one point to pray for victims of Cyclone Nargis, which struck the Myanmar coast a …

Blacks shut out of Ryan rehab planning, complaint to feds says

State transportation officials are violating federal guidelines byshutting off African Americans from the planning of the $450 millionreconstruction of the Dan Ryan Expy., a group of South Side residentscharge in a complaint to the U.S. Justice Department.

The Committee to Save the Dan Ryan will file a formal complaintMonday accusing the Illinois Department of Transportation of doinglittle to seriously seek community input for the project, which willpermanently close 10 ramps in black neighborhoods between 43rd and59th streets.

Committee members have said the ramp closures will disrupt trafficpatterns in surrounding neighborhoods and choke the flow of …