Red Velvet Cake and Joanna's Birthday

For Joanna's Birthday dinner this last Sunday I made a Red Velvet Cake. It has been a very long time since I have made this particular cake! It was fun to make it again. Garth and the kids really enjoyed the beater from the frosting. Below are pictures of Garth and the kids with the beater, the cake, and Joanna holding Brady as we sang "Happy Birthday!"

Red Velvet Cake (recipe from my Mom who got it from Margaret Strong)

1 1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs

Cream together. Add following mixture:
2 T. cocoa powder dissolved in 2 oz. red food coloring (yep-2 oz.!!)

Mix together (A):
1 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 c. buttermilk

2 1/2 c. sifted cake flour (B)

Alternate adding A & B to red creamed mixture. Beat, beat, beat!!

Rapidly fold in:
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 T. vinegar

Pour into 3 greased/floured 9" cake pans.

Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.

Frosting:
Add 8 T. flour to 1 1/2 c. milk. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Cool.

Cream together:
1 1/2 c. butter (not margarine)
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Add to flour mixture.

Beat until consistency to spread. Frosting appears curdy at first, but when finished it has the texture of whipped cream.

*we discussed maybe not adding red food coloring-but decided who would want red velvet cake and not eat it the way it was meant to be eaten, so since I am not a big fan of tons of tons of food coloring in general we will only have it once in awhile (that and the $6 in food coloring alone)