Recipe(tried): Reddest Red Velvet Cake

DECEMBER 8, 1999

COOKING: RED VELVET CAKE WITH RACHEL

Red velvet cake has a long and colorful history. It has been called Waldorf-Astoria g teau rouge au diable, red party cake, and five-hundred-dollar cake, among other names. Jim Blauveldt, the archivist at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, has tried to track down the original recipe for red velvet cake, but has had no success. The cake's origins remain a mystery.

What we do know is that colored cakes first became popular in the United States in the 1820s. Women made white cakes using egg whites and yellow cakes with egg yolks, then served them together cut into checkerboard patterns. By the late nineteenth century, marble cakes such as watermelon cake came into vogue. A red dye was used to color the red parts of these cakes, and currants were mixed into the batter to simulate seeds. After baking, the cake was covered with green frosting. Red velvet cake may have derived from cakes like these.

Rachel Cheatwood has been making her version of red velvet cake for fifteen years. In fact, she makes up to fifty cakes a year, most between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Rachel visits from Alabama and explains to Martha that these cakes are still popular in the Southern part of the United States.

RECIPE

RED VELVET CAKEMakes one 9-inch layer cake
Cooking spray, for pans
2 1/2 cups White Lily self-rising flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole buttermilk
2 1/2 tablespoons red food coloring

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 9-by-2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray, and line with wax paper. Set aside. Ina medium bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla. With an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy,about 2 minutes. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix on low speed just until the flour has been incorporated. Slowly addbuttermilk. Add food coloring, and beat to combine.

3. Divide batter between pans; each pan will be about half full. Tap pans on counter to remove bubbles. Bake until a cake testerinserted into the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove the pans to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Invert pans ontowire racks sprayed with vegetable oil to cool cake completely, or quick-chill in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. To assemble, place one layer, top-side down, on a cake stand. Using an offset spatula, spread with 1/4 inch of frosting.Repeat with remaining layers. To frost the top and sides of the cake, work from the center toward and over the edge, makingsure to evenly coat. Store in an airtight container for up to one week. CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Makes 6 cups

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place cream cheese and margarine in a medium bowl. With a handheld electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.Add sugar, pecans, and vanilla. Beat, on low speed to combine. If too soft, chill until slightly stiff, about 10 minutes, beforeusing.