Red Velvet Cake – 4th of July Recipe

Every workplace, church, hometown has a number of people who are known for their excellent food. Our office is blessed with incredibly good cooks who can turn a meal into a feast on any occasion. Our chief accountant, Hayley Hallstrom, from Pender knows that when we have something to celebrate (we celebrate often) that the first thing out of at least one person’s mouth is, “Great, have Hayley make a Red Velvet Cake!”

I am not sure when the first Red Velvet Cake was made, but I am guessing sometime in the ‘40’s or ‘50’s. My mother, one of those women the town looked to for the best of the best when it came to covered dish suppers, loved to make a Red Velvet Cake for the 4th of July. We had homemade vanilla ice cream on it and gained about 5 pounds per slice.

Recently I saw Paula Dean make Red Velvet Cupcakes on her cooking show, and they reminded me again of how delicious Mother’s recipe was. Here is her recipe from our hometown church cookbook. Enjoy! — Barbara Chamness, 402.687.2103 x 1009, barbarac@cfra.org.

Red Velvet Cake Ingredients
½ cup of shortening
1 ½ cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 ½ cups sifted flour
1 cup of buttermilk
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of soda
1 ½ bottle of red food coloring

Frosting Ingredients
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup of sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon butter flavor
1 cup shortening

Cake: Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, and flavorings. Make a paste of cocoa and food color. Add to first mixture. Alternately add flour and buttermilk. Mix soda and vinegar in a small bowl. Add to batter. Blend and Bake in 3 (9 or 10 inch) cake pans for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool, then frost.

Frosting: Cook milk, salt, and flour until thick, stirring constantly. Let cool. Cream shortening and sugar very well. Add flavorings. Mix everything together and beat well.