Red Velvet Cake (For Special Occasions)

Juanita Chugg first gave me this recipe in 7th Ward in the 60's and called it the '$300 Cake'. Urband legend has it that a woman had asked the chef at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC for their recipe of the Red Velvet Cake and he gave it to her along with a bill for $100 or $300 (whatever). Outraged at the cost, she circulated the instructions to anyone who would take her recipe card. It began appearing in cook books in the mid 1900's. When I was working in Texas, the wife of one of my supervisors, always sent this to the Pot Lucks. The first time I was served, they gave me a huge 1/4 of the cake--and I ate it all. And I have been a big fan ever since. Red Velvet Cake is served all over Texas.

This recipe is the one I use from the Lion House Cookbook and they call it the Red Carpet Cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

2/3 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 ounces of red food coloring

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vinegar

1. Cream together shortening, sugar and eggs in a large bowl. Make a paste of the coloring and cocoa; add to the sugar mixture and blend.
2. In a medium bowl mix salt, baking soda and flour.
3. In a separate bowl mix buttermilk, vinegar and vanilla together. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternately to the creamed mixture. Mix until blended.
4. Divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans and bake approximately 30 minutes. Overbaking will cause the cakes to be very dry. Cool layers. Cut each layer in half horizontally so you have four layers

Baker's Frosting:

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups whole milk with 4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour in a small saucepan; mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick. Cover and let cool in the fridge.
2. Cream 1 1/2 cups butter (no substitute), 1 1/2 cups sugar and 1 Tablespoon of vanilla until fluffy.
3. Add the cooled flour mixture and beat until fluffy; this will take approximately 5 minutes. When frosting is done, you should not be able to feel the sugar granules.

Assemble the cake by placing a layer of cake on a serving platter and spreading with a layer of Baker's frosting. Add the next layer of cake and repeat until you end with the last layer of cake. Frost top and sides of cake with frosting. Makes 12 servings.