Storecipe of the Week: Award Winning Red Velvet Cake

Summer is the season for cupcakes! Scratch that, when is it not a time for cupcakes? I absolutely love desserts, especially cookies and cupcakes. In Chicago, we have a place called Sweet Mandy B's (1208 West Webster Avenue Chicago, IL 60614-3109 - #773-244-1174) and they have my favorite cupcakes. They are just perfect! Sprinkles Cupcakes  just opened here too and everyone is going bananas for cupcakes!

Being Summer, we have so many BBQ's. Without fail, someone always brings cupcakes for dessert. My favorite are the red velvet with cream cheese frosting. I thought it would be fitting to feature a submission on the best red velvet cake. Here is a submission from Kathy Kelly who lives in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Story:
My mom, Mary Carter, and I were recipe scavengers. Once, we saw a new one, in a book or magazine, we rushed out to get the ingredients and make it. Some weren't so good but the red velvet cake was a gold ribbon winner. Cake layers soaked with hot, sweetened milk made this dessert a "die for" experience. At the newspaper where I work, my mom ran the cafeteria and quickly added the cake to her lineup of homemade desserts. The results were out of sight. It quickly became a best seller, one of her most requested ones. After retiring, she continued to make the cakes for the fans of this deep red confection. At her memorial service, I spoke of my love and respect for her, how much she had taught me, especially cooking. I made some red velvet cakes for the reception after the service. We had recipe cards printed up with her photo to hand out to friends and family. I have one framed in my kitchen to always remind me of where my inspiration for cooking and baking, especially desserts, came from. It's been four years now and I miss my mom every day. But when I put that big mixer on the counter and assemble the ingredients for a cake, I know she's always there with me.

Thoughts:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cocoa

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 (0.25 oz.) bottle red food coloring

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze:
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
5 Tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla

Putting the Memory Together:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa into a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream oil and 1 1/2 cups of sugar.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add food coloring, mixing well at slow speed until blended.

Combine buttermilk and baking soda. Mix well; add to oil-sugar mixture alternately with dry ingredients. Add vanilla. Mix well.

Spoon into two prepared 9 inch round cake pans.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. After cooling, remove cake from pans and place on a baking rack. Place racks over dinner plate or tray to catch drips from glaze.

Glaze: Combine milk and sugar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Spoon mixture evenly on each layer. After glazing, put one cake on top of the the other to make a 2 tiered cake.

To make frosting, combine cream cheese, butter, confectioner's sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Frost entire cake. Serve at room temperature. Keep refrigerated after serving.

Enjoy!  It is delicious, moist and a real crowd pleaser!!