Christmas at the Trimm House would not
be complete without our holiday favorite: red velvet cake! This
decadent treat can be served at any time of the year – and believe
me, my mom and I have made them for many different occasions – but
the red velvet cake is the proverbial cherry on top of our Christmas
celebrations.
This recipe is the exact same one we
have been preparing for every single year since I can remember. It
comes from an antique cookbook of my mother's that is a compilation
of recipes from women across the state of Alabama. The author of this
recipe is a Ms. Ruth Stovall. I've tried different red velvet recipes
over the years, but Ms. Stovall's is the hands-down favorite of
everyone. It's rich and moist without being too dense but not overly
dainty or delicate.
Now, I've made a couple of tweaks to
the recipe to suit my own taste. However, just be sure to follow the
recipe as closely as possible; otherwise, you may end up with a
fragile, crumbly cake. If your cake does fall apart, however, don't
sweat it! Just make a red velvet trifle – which just happens to be
the most requested dish of mine by my grad school colleagues. Also,
we must discuss the topic of pecans. Most Southerners would consider
it blasphemous to omit pecans from the frosting. However, I prefer
the velvety texture of the cake and simple frosting on their own, so
I don't add any nuts unless someone requests them. If you want to add
them to the frosting or top the finished cake with chopped pecans, by
all means, indulge! It's the holidays!
Red Velvet Cake
2 ½ cups self-rising flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cocoa powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
1 tsp. white vinegar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. butter flavoring*
1 1 oz. bottle red food coloring
*The original recipe calls for an
antiquated product known as butter-flavored Wesson oil. Some sources
claim that this product is still available in very limited supply,
but I have yet to find any. Therefore, I simply add a little butter
flavoring to the batter. You can completely omit this ingredient,
though, if you desire, but it does add an extra richness to the
cake's flavor.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine
dry ingredients. Incorporate wet ingredients in the order listed, and
mix thoroughly until batter is evenly blended. Be extra careful with
the red food coloring, as it will stain fabrics and some surfaces
very easily!
Pour batter into two greased,
parchment-lined 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 25-35 minutes or
until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before
removing from the pans and applying frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese
2 sticks of butter
2 1 lb. boxes of confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
(Add a cup of chopped pecans if
desired)
Allow cream cheese and butter to come
to room temperature. Using an electric mixer, cream together softened
cream cheese and butter, add vanilla, then gradually add
confectioner's sugar until frosting is evenly blended. Apply
generously to cake as desired.
(Have a Sweet Holiday!)
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, everyone!
