Description

Delicious traditional red velvet cake that improves with age. Frosted with a Christmas flour frosting, not cream cheese! This recipe also uses natural food coloring.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Cake:

1/2 cup vegetable oil (can substitute shortening, but oil makes it moister)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 to 2 packets or 1 to 2 tablespoons of natural red food coloring, preferably beet or pomegranate powder

1 tablespoon of oil to go with the natural red food color powder

2 tablespoons cocoa (red cocoa powder gives a better hue)

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Frosting Ingredients

5 tablespoons of flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

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Instructions

Cake Directions

Preheat oven to 325.

Cream oil (or shortening), sugar and eggs.

In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa with the food coloring and 1 tablespoon oil (if using a food coloring powder.)

Add the cocoa/red food coloring mix to the oil/sugar/egg mixture and mix well.

Now slowly add your flour, salt, buttermilk and vanilla, beating until the batter is smooth.

In a separate bowl, mix your vinegar and baking soda. As soon as the mix starts to bubble, quickly fold it into your main cake mixture. Do not overmix!

Time is of the essence. Immediately after folding, put the cake into the preheated oven right away.

Cook for 20 to 25 minutes. Check with a toothpick at 20. Cake’s ready when the toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool completely before you put the frosting on top.

Christmas Frosting Directions

Mix the flour and milk until smooth.

Pour the flour/milk mixture into a small saucepan and cook over low heat until it’s thick and smooth. Watch the frosting closely so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Stir frequently. Keep going until the frosting is thick enough that it basically forms a ball in your saucepan.

Let it fully cool. This is important.

Cream the sugar and butter and vanilla in a mixer until smooth.

Add the cooled flour mixture.

Beat in the mixer until smooth. There will be a point when you think it’s done, but the texture is still just a little coarse. Keep beating past this point, because it will get pretty fluffy.

Put the frosting in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before you frost your cooled cake.

Notes

Let the frosted cake sit in your refrigerator for a day or two before serving, so it gets extra moist. Let it sit out for about an hour before serving so it gets back to room temperature.