Red Velvet Cake Recipe

A Red Velvet Cake recipe is the perfect choice for St. Valentine's Day or Christmas because of its unusual, deep red color. Heck, it would even go with a 4th of July theme for Americans. But a Red Velvet cake is elegant and delicious enough for any special occasion. This particular Red Velvet Cake recipe contains more cocoa than most. I love chocolate, so reduce the cocoa to 3 or even 2 tablespoons if you want less of a chocolate flavor.

Red Velvet Cake holds some fond memories for me. The first memory is when I was a teenager visiting my dad and stepmother in the summer. They were friends with the sweetest people that went on vacation with us. The woman was one of the best cooks ever. But the one thing she made that surpassed everything else was her Red Velvet Cake recipe. It was moist, delicious, and a curious rich, ruby red color. I loved it.

But my favorite Red Velvet Cake recipe memory involves my youngest daughter. She wanted to enter something at the state fair. We decided she should bake something. After searching through every recipe I had, she decided on a Red Velvet Cake recipe. (She liked the name of the recipe.)

This was the first time that my daughter baked anything doing most of the work herself. I hung around for support and to answer any questions. She slaved on that Red Velvet Cake all evening. When she had finished frosting her Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese frosting, she looked as if she had conquered the world. And she still has a souvenir to remember her first Red Velvet Cake recipe; a blue ribbon is still in a prominent place hanging on her wall.

Red Velvet Cake Recipe Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening (do not substitute butter or margarine)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, presifted

1 cup buttermilk

4 tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 bottle red food coloring

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Cream together the shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after adding each egg. Alternate adding flour and buttermilk, mixing on medium until blended. In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa, vanilla, and food coloring. Then fill up the food coloring bottle with water and add the water to the mix. Use a whisk to mix until smooth. Add this to the Red Velvet cake batter. Mix well on low. Dissolve the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl. Add to the cake batter and mix.

Pour the Red Velvet cake batter into two greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the Red Velvet cake for about 10 minutes before removing from the cake pans. Then remove from cake pans. Let your Red Velvet cake cool completely before frosting with the frosting of your choice.

Cream Cheese Frosting

2- 8 ounces packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened (do not substitute margarine)

1 cup finely chopped pecans

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add the chopped pecans. Mix well until creamy. Then add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar. Mix well with a blender or by hand. Put cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator while the Red Velvet cake is baking. Do not use the frosting until it is cold. Apply to the Red Velvet cake after the cake has completely cooled.

Optional ideas for frosting and decorating your Red Velvet Cake is to sprinkle the top with coconut, chopped pecans, or colored sugar granules. If you want chocolate frosting, add 1/3 cup cocoa to the cream cheese frosting recipe.

The only allowable substitutes for this Red Velvet Cake recipe is for the buttermilk. For the buttermilk, use 1 cup milk and add one tablespoon vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes at room temperature before adding it to the Red Velvet Cake. However, do NOT substitute oil, butter, or margarine for the shortening. The texture of the Red Velvet cake recipe will be tougher and drier than when you use shortening. Also, using apple cider vinegar will give a better taste to your cake than white vinegar. The last secret to a delicious Red Velvet Cake recipe is to use real vanilla extract, not imitation.