Recipe: Red Velvet Cakes

CHRISTMAS RED VELVET CAKE
1 c. margarine or butter
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (1 oz.) bottle red food coloring
1 c. buttermilk
1 tbsp. vinegar
ICING:
1 c. butter (2 sticks)
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped pecans
3 tbsp. flour
1 c. coconut
1 c. sugar
Cream butter, sugar and add eggs and beat until fluffy. Make paste of cocoa and vinegar, and add to butter mixture. Sift salt, soda, and flour together. Add to the mixture, alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla and coloring. Bake in three 9 inch layers at 350 degrees until done. Grease and flour pans. Cook milk and flour until thick, set aside to cool (2 hours at least). Mix sugar and butter when flour mixture is completely cold, add to butter and sugar, beating until it is consistency of whipped cream. Add coconut and chopped nuts. Start your icing first. It will cool while you're preparing the layers.

RED VELVET CAKE
1 3/4 c. Crisco oil
2 1/2 c. plain flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vinegar
2 oz. red food color
ICING:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 stick margarine
1 c. pecans
1 tsp. vanilla flavor
1 box confectioners' sugar
Preheat oven 300 degrees. Use 8 inch cake pans (make 5 layers). Combine sugar, flour, soda, salt and cocoa. Stir in oil, buttermilk. Add eggs and mix well. Add vinegar and food color. Bake until done.

QUICK RED VELVET CAKE
1 white cake mix with pudding
2 tbsp. cocoa
2 oz. red food coloring
Buttermilk
ICING:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 box powdered sugar
1 c. nuts, chopped (optional)
Follow package directions for cake, except substitute following for the water. Pour cocoa into a 2 cups measuring cup and add red food coloring. Stir well. Pour in buttermilk to make the amount of water called for in the directions for the cake mix. Stir. Cook cake as directed on package. Do not overcook. Cool on cooling racks. Ice with following recipe. With mixer, cream the cream cheese until fluffy. Add margarine and mix again until fluffy and blended. Add vanilla. Mix well. Add powdered sugar, a little at a time. Mix well after each addition, making sure there are no lumps. Stir in nuts. Spread on cooled cake

WALDORF ASTORIA (RED VELVET)
1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 oz. red food coloring
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
1 tbsp. cocoa
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. soda
ICING:
1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sweet milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Cream together shortening and sugar. Add coloring. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Sift flour, cocoa and salt. Add alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla, dissolve soda in vinegar. Fold into batter. Bake in well greased and floured cake pans at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. After thoroughly cooled, ice with following. Cook together slowly until thick. Cool good. Cream together: 1 c. sugar 2 tsp. vanilla