RED VELVET COCOA CAKE

"A Depression-era recipe from Hershey, Red Velvet Cocoa Cake (which originally called for vegetable shortening rather than butter) is far moister and more chocolaty than its modest amount of cocoa would lead you to believe. It's also rather red, thanks to the inclusion of a tablespoon of food coloring, meant, perhaps, to evoke classic Devil's Food, in which an excessive amount of baking soda causes the traditional reddish color. The cake can be frosted with buttercream frosting, but the vanilla-flavored recipe below is more traditional."

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tablespoon red food color
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk*)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Fluffy Vanilla Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

In large mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs and food color; blend well; set aside.

Stir together flour, cocoa and salt; add alternately with buttermilk to butter mixture, beating until well blended; set aside.

Stir baking soda into vinegar; fold carefully into batter (do not beat). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with Fluffy Vanilla Frosting.

FLUFFY VANILLA FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
5 cups powdered sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons milk

In large mixer bowl, beat butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, vanilla and salt. Add remaining powdered sugar alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency. Makes about 2 3/4 cups frosting

*To sour milk: Use 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup.

Servings: 10-12
Source: More Back of the Box Gourmet by Michael McLaughlin