Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet cake is one of those desserts I only care for when its been homemade. There's just something about store bought ones that's off, like you can taste the red dye in the batter, giving it a strange flavor. The recipe below is one I found in a neat old cookbook, 300 Years of Carolina Cooking, it has similar properties like my Grandmothers so I thought I'd give it a go.

For The Cake

Ingredients: 1 Stick Butter (softened)

1/2 Cup Crisco

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

2 Eggs

1 1/2 Bottles Red Food Coloring

2 Tbls. Cocoa

1 tsp. Soda

Pinch of Salt

2 1/2 Cups Flour

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 Cup Buttermilk

1 Tbls. Vinegar

In a large bowl, cream together the Butter

Shortening

Sugar

And Eggs 

In a separate bowl, mix the Cocoa

And Food Coloring making a paste

Blend with the Butter

Add the pinch of Salt

Vanilla

Buttermilk

And Flour mixing thoroughly

Mix in the Soda

Then the Vinegar

Pour the Batter into two Greased and Floured pans and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean)

For The Frosting

Ingredients: 1 Stick Butter (softened)

2 (8oz.) Packages Cream Cheese (room temperature)

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

In a large bowl cream together the Butter

And Cream Cheese

Add the Vanilla

Then the Sugar (one cup at a time) mixing thoroughly.

Wait until the Cakes cool to room temperature before frosting. 

Then decorate, cut, and serve

This cake is very moist and has a wonderful flavor with a slight cocoa taste on the palate. The color is a deep rich red that looks good with simple Cream Cheese frosting or by itself. The frosting is light with a strong Cream Cheese flavor, but doesn't over power the cake.

 It wasn't until I uploaded the pictures that I realized there weren't any of the cooled cakes or of it being frosted, I apologize.