Velvet

Velvet - smooth and soft to sight or hearing or touch or taste.

April 9, 2009

I got the urge to make a red velvet cake a few days ago, and finally got to it today. I hardly ever make cake from scratch but I did this one. I don't know how well the color will come across, but it turned out exactly as I had hoped - a beautiful, deep red color. I frosted it with a homemade buttercreme. I have no plating skills, and definitely no "drizzling" skills, so just know that the cake is gorgeous and tastes great!

Red Velvet Cake

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 T cocoa

4 T red food coloring

1 t salt

1 t vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 T distilled white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar WELL. Add eggs and beat well. Make a paste of cocoa and red food coloring. Add to creamed mixture. Mix salt, vanilla, and buttermilk together. Add alternately the flour with the milk mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix soda and vinegar and FOLD INTO THE CAKE BATTER. DO NOT BEAT OR STIR NOW. Bake for 30 minutes.

I am very pleased with how this turned out. It is so pretty and would be a perfect cake for Valentines Day or Christmas. The color is gorgeous! It took a lot of food coloring, almost 2 of the 1 oz bottles. I just got the walmart brand so it was cheaper. The walmart brand only cost 88 cents a bottle instead of almost $3 a bottle for the name brand. I would have liked to make a layered round cake for this recipe, but I don't have round cake pans. I guess I'll have to get some. I think that's how red velvet cake is supposed to be! Either that or in the shape of an armadillo!