Hey Bob E. Lish...here is one that I got off the internet but used for a friend back in Minnesota whose favorite cake was Red Velvet Cake, and he always liked it. If you want, I'll come tutor you in the proper handling of red food coloring and sharing of excess frosting, and we can...go get the camera and take pictures of the cake for all the nice people out there to see. Yeah...that's it!
;-)

This one has a frosting recipe already with it. And you thought I was just another pretty face. Ha!

Red Velvet Cake

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa
4 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Grease two 9 inch round pans (I'd probably use the spray now, probably used cocoa over the grease back then (as I did for dark cakes), haven't made this since I came to California). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar well. Add eggs and beat well.

Make a paste of cocoa and red food coloring. Add to creamed mixture. Mix salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla and buttermilk together. Add alternately the flour with the milk mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix soda and vinegar (it does this cool bubbly thing when you mix the soda and vinegar, so you're forewarned and won't freak and accidentally knock over the bottle of food coloring!). Fold into cake batter, don't beat or stir now.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Icing

5 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cook 5 tablespoons flour and milk over low heat til thick, stirring constantly. Let cool thoroughly! While cooling, cream 1 cup sugar, 1 cup butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat this well til light and flufy. Add to flour mixture and beat until spreading consistency. Ice cooled cake.

You certainly are the last person I expected to respond with a recipe! "Go get the camera"... Oh yeah :o) Please show me how it's done! I have a feeling we wouldn't have much frosting left over at the end of the event.

As an aside, I'm surprised to see that the frosting recipe takes so much flour and no powdered sugar!

I can never bring myself to eat anything with red food coloring!

Grandmother Paul's Red Velvet Cake Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Cake:
2 cups sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 ounces red food coloring
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar
Icing:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup melted marshmallows
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Mix cocoa and food coloring together and then add to sugar mixture; mix well. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour batter into 3 (8-inch) round greased and floured pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting.

Icing:
Blend cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl. Add marshmallows and sugar and blend. Fold in coconut and nuts. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cooled cake.

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Intermediate
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 16 to 20 servings
User Rating:
Episode#: PA1D10
Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Bobby this recipe is really good....

Linda P

Actually, Linda, that recipe looks great! I'd rather have butter than sbortening in the cake.... and marshmallows in the frosting! Oh boy! I've made frosting recipes with regular sugar and flour like in Scott's recipe and they were lumpy and grainy so the frosting recipe looks great as well! Thank you!

PS I'll still take ya up on the other things Scott! Hope you can still show me what to do with Linda's recipe! :o)

Mine is justa bout identical to Scott's. But I will say it is yummy - and I could eat the frosting with a spoon - or...however!

Red Velvet Cake

Grease and flour 2 8" layer pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cocoa
1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vinegar

½ Cup butter
1 ½ Cup sugar
2 eggs
2 oz. red food coloring
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

Sift together the flour, cocoa and salt. Set aside

Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, coloring, and vanilla.
To this add dry ingredients (flour, cocoa and salt) alternately with buttermilk.

Add baking soda and vinegar. Fold them into the mixture with a fork, gently but thoroughly.

Bake 2 8" layers for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Frosting:

Cook following until thick, stirring constantly:

1 Cup milk
3 tbsp flour

Cool and set aside.

Cream together:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter

Beat until fluffy and add 1 tsp vanilla.

Combine with the milk/flour mixture and beat 10 minutes ( it may appear to curdle).

This makes lots of frosting.

okay Bob E Lish : I love Scott's little Pet name for you! LOL

And I'd say since she doesn't like sweet much and it's for her..I'd go with the flour based frosting.

And the key is buttermilk and good cocoa. And any recipe you choose I'd make sure that you use 2T of the Cocoa.
It looks like Scotts and Paula D's recipes are similar in amounts..she just loves her BUDDER..

The name is cute, huh Terry!?

I guess the flour based frosting wouldn't be as sweet, but if I make a lumpy frosting, I'll just die! Maybe I should make a practice cake for myself... this could be dangerous!

Nah just practice frosting...lol

Hey I think it's D lite ful...lol But it's what you think that matters...

That does sound like a great recipe, and it is a Paula Deen after all, can't go wrong there! That sounds so good I might just try it just because! Don't worry babe, I'm available for tutoring in all manner of recipes! Although I recall the frosting to be pretty easy on mine. The Paula Deen frosting sounds good too, though I might do just the frosting and skip the pecans and coconut (not that there's anything wrong with that). By the way, what is "sbortening"? (ducks and runs)

What did you mean though that I was the last person you expected to post a recipe? I cook! And I bake even better! (wink)

Terry, "Bob E. Lish" is short for "Bob E. Licious", which is spelled like that or "Bobbylicious", depending on my mood. (LOL)