Red Velvet Cake
Red Velvet Cake

"In the classic recipe," Snow writes, "chocolate cake batter is tinted with two bottles of food coloring. In some recipes the cake is vanilla, but chocolate is by far the favorite. Cooks who skimp and use just one bottle -- 1 ounce -- of food coloring will get a pinkish cake, bakers warn. The traditional frosting is made by cooking flour and milk until thickened, then beating it into a whipped mixture of solid vegetable shortening and sugar. This produces a fluffy icing similar in appearance to whipped cream but much sturdier."


1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 bottles (1 ounce each) red food coloring
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Cream shortening and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs. In a small container, stir together cocoa and food coloring until cocoa is dissolved. Beat into creamed mixture.
Measure buttermilk and stir in vanilla and salt. Beat into cake mixture alternately with flour, in three additions each. Combine baking soda and vinegar. Add to cake batter and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Pour into two greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until cake begins to pull away from pan and top springs back when touched lightly with a finger. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes in pans. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Cut each layer in half horizontally. Frost and stack the four layers, then frost the sides and top. Store in the refrigerator.


Classic White Frosting


5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla



Place flour in saucepan and gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over low heat until very thick. Cover and refrigerate until cool.
With a mixer, cream butter and shortening. Beat in sugar and vanilla until mixture looks white and fluffy. Add milk-flour mixture and continue to beat about 10 minutes, until frosting has the consistency of whipped cream.