Do you have recipes that you clipped from a newspaper or magazine, put away in your recipe box and then forgotten for 10+ years? Well, this is one of those recipes.
I cut out this Red Velvet Cake from the Houston Chronicle, “Hints from Heloise,” in 1998. I made it back then, loved it and saved it. Now the clipping is that iconic old newspaper shade of yellow. This recipe has moved from house to house, state to state.
Here is the Sugar Mommas’ version based on that old recipe.
Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 5 eggs
- ½ c. vegetable oil
- 1 c. buttermilk*
- 2 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder**
- 1 oz. red food coloring
- ½ tsp. vanilla
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened (do not use whipped)
- ½ stick of butter, softened
- ½ box confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Step 1: Prepare Cake
Preheat oven to 350ºF. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil and buttermilk at low speed for approximately 30 seconds. Add the cocoa powder until blended. Then add food coloring and blend. Increase speed to medium and continue to mix for 2 minutes. Lightly grease, or use non-stick cooking spray with flour, two 9 in. round pans. Pour batter evenly into pans. Bake for 28-30 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.
Step 2: Prepare the Frosting
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add in confectioner’s sugar and continue mixing until well-blended. Add vanilla. Beat at high speed until fluffy. You may add 1 tablespoon of confectioner’s sugar at a time of you prefer sweeter frosting.
Step 3: Frost Cake
Place one cake layer upside down on serving platter and spread icing (be generous on top as this will be your filling layer). Place the other cake right side up on top and complete frosting top and sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Healthy Alternative*
Use low fat buttermilk instead of regular.
SASS IT UP**
Try a new variety of cocoa powder and/or food coloring. Scharffen Berger, Callebaut or Valrhona Cocoa Powder INDIA TREE Natural Decorating Colors for Red food coloring http://www.indiatree.com/products/decorative/natures_colors/nc-dyes.html
Decorate:
Decorate the frosting with chopped pecans, coconut flakes, or fresh berries. Dye the frosting a festive color for a party or stay with classic white. Use your imagination.
SM NOTE
Be a Sugar Momma & double the frosting. You need enough for the kids (and yourself, who are we kidding?) to each lick a spoon AND frost the cake.
Carpool Crunch
If you don’t have time to bake this cake from scratch, you can CHEAT by using the Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Red Velvet Cake mix in the box. Mix four ingredients together and PRESTO! Pop that baby in the oven, slap on some cream cheese frosting (in the tub) and go! Of course a Sugar Momma would never do this “quickie” to serve at a book club. But it may be perfect as a kiddie project on a Sunday afternoon whim.
