Old Fashioned Southern Red Velvet Cake

Submitted by Jessica K

"My mom grew up with her grandma making this for special occasions. She finally found a recipe just like her grandmother's a few years ago on the internet and was sooo happy to have it back!!! This is from the Southern forum on about. This DOES not have cream cheese in the icing or coconut, if that's what your looking for keep on a looking."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 8-10

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup crisco butter flavor shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 1⁄2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1⁄4 cup red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda, in
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

• Frosting

• 1 cup milk
• 1 1⁄4 cups granulated sugar
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 3⁄4 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

directions

1. Cream shortening & sugar. Add eggs. Beat well. Sift flour, salt & cocoa together. Add alternately with buttermilk. Beat after each addition.
2. Make paste of cocoa and food coloring; add to creamed mixture. Add salt, flour and vanilla alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Sprinkle soda over vinegar; pour vinegar over batter.
3. Bake 30 minute at 350 degrees in 2 9" greased pans round cake pans.

4. For frosting:

5. Combine milk and flour and cook until thick (like a white sauce) Stir constantly. Set aside to cool. Cream sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and cooled cream sauce. Beat until icing becomes stiff. Frost cooled cakes.
6. Enjoy!

Reviews

[Raspberry Cordial]

This was a nice cake. It's not overly sweet. I've made this type of frosting twice now and it just isn't my thing. It has a nice creamy consistency like whipped cream but I can still taste the flour. For the batter I used cake flour which may have influenced the results. Although the directions are a bit sketchy, I was able to put this cake together with no problems.

 

[vlynn]

Made this for Thanksgiving. The only complaint I have is that the directions were very unclear. My grandma used to make the VERY best Red Velvet cake and this is the closest recipe I have found. The icing was the same as hers but for some reason mine didn't look like hers. Nonetheless it was very good. Thanks

 

[VeggieHippie]

when do you add the food coloring and the baking soda and vinegar?