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| One of My Best |
I
made this dessert for my family in Mexico City. A word of caution – be careful choosing
your food color. I bought my food coloring for this cake at a store in Mexico.
Everyone who ate the cake said that they had ‘caca roja’. Since this is a food
blog, I am not going to discuss that too much.
One
of the things I love the most about making desserts is that people really
appreciate them. There is nothing more wonderful than presenting a beautiful
pastry to your friends and family. Of all the things we cook for others, I find
that desserts get the most appreciation.
Ingredients
2
tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2
ounces red food coloring
1
cup buttermilk
1
teaspoon salt
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2
cup shortening
1
1/2 cups white sugar
2
eggs
2
1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1
teaspoon white vinegar
1
cup milk
5
tablespoons all-purpose flour
1
cup white sugar
1
cup butter
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Grease
two 9 inch round pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Make a
paste of cocoa and food coloring. Set aside.
Combine
the buttermilk, salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream
together the shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in
the eggs one at a time, then stir in the cocoa mixture. Beat in the buttermilk
mixture alternately with the flour, mixing just until incorporated. Stir
together baking soda and vinegar, then gently fold into the cake batter.
Pour
batter into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until
a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool
completely before frosting. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
To
Make Icing: In a saucepan, combine the milk and 5 tablespoons flour. Cook over
low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Set aside to cool
completely. Cream together butter, 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until
light and fluffy, then stir in the cooled milk and flour mixture, beating until
icing reaches spreading consistency.
Decorating the Cake: I decorate my red velvet cake with strawberries and red velvet cake
crumbs. Decorating the cake is probably my favorite part. I love making things
beautiful.
