Red Velvet Cake. The texture is exquisite, and the taste is one without parallel. Foreign visitors to this country are often dismayed at the obviously artificially colored appearance, but once they have a mouthful, hey – it’s a thumbs up experience!

Red Velvet Cake Recipe-

Ingredients:

For the Red Velvet Cake Batter-

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canola oil
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 2 oz. red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk

For the cream cheese frosting-

• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 (8 oz.) package Philadelphia Kraft Cream Cheese
• 1 12 oz. box confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped lightly toasted pecans

Directions:

For the Red Velvet Cake-

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) round layer cake pans.
2. Sift flour, baking soda and coco together. Beat sugar and eggs together in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl mix together oil, vinegar, food coloring, and vanilla. Add to the bowl of eggs and sugar and beat until combined.
4. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet mixture by alternating the buttermilk and dry ingredients. Always start with the flour and end with the flour.
5. Pour batter into pans. Tap them on the table to level out the batter and release air bubbles. Bake for 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted near the middle comes out clean but be careful not to over bake or you’ll end up with a dry cake.
6. Let layers cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before turning out of pan. Cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting-

1. Let margarine and cream cheese soften to room temperature. Mix and blend together well.
2. Add sugar and beat until mixed but not so much that the frosting becomes “loose”.
3. Add vanilla and nuts.

To Assemble the Red Velvet Cake-

1. Place one layer of cake on a cake platter, spread frosting over it, then lay another layer of cake on top and frost it, then the last layer of cake. Frost the top and all sides of the assembled tri-layer cake.
2. Serve your Red Velvet Cake with freshly brewed strong dark coffee.

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