The Original Red Velvet Cake

My Grandmother, Lillie Carbeau Blanchard, brought this recipe to our family from her Louisiana home in 1957. It was an instant favorite and in demand for birthdays each year. It has been a tradition in our home and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have. When I make the icing, I blend the flour into the milk with the mixer first, then I cook it on a medium heat to begin with, constantly stirring to avoid lumps, increasing the heat along the way. Make sure you stir the sides and bottom of the pan. Let the stiff mixture cool to room temperature before you blend in the sugar, butter and vanilla. I double the icing recipe. as it is not too sweet and our family loves it! Also - I cool the layers in the refrigerator overnight then I spilt the layers, making this more like a "torte" than a regular cake.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Yields: 1 delicious cake

Ingredients

•  cake, ingredients
• 2  ounces  red food coloring
• 2  tablespoons  cocoa
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 2  eggs
• 1  cup buttermilk
• 2 1⁄2 cups cake flour
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon white vinegar
•  icing, ingredients (single recipe)
• 3  tablespoons flour
• 1  cup milk
• 1  cup butter
• 1  cup sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar, add cocoa and food coloring, mix thoroughly.
2. Add eggs.
3. Alternate adding the buttermilk with the cake flour.
4. Add salt and vanilla.
5. Put 1t soda into 1T white vinegar and fold this mixture into the batter.
6. Bake in two 9 inch pans @ 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool and split layers.
7. ICING.
8. Blend flour into milk in the mixer. Cook until very stiff, first over a medium heat, but you can increase the heat as it gets thicker. Cool this mixture until it is room temperature. Do not attempt to mix in the rest of the ingredients unless the first mixture is truly room temperature. Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat the two mixtures together (I add the flour/milk mixture a little at a time to the butter/sugar/vanilla mixture, until it is the consistency of whipped cream.
9. Ice each later and assemble a "torte" looking cake. Enjoy!