Nothing says Christmas like a festively decorated dessert that features the traditional colors of the season. If you are like me and are tired of making (and eating) the same red and green Christmas cookies this next recipe might get you back in the holiday spirit.
It’s a take off on the traditional southern favorite red velvet cake. The recipe for the cake is untouched save for the festive green frosting that borders the deliciously moist red interior. You could stick with the traditional white frosting, but I enjoy hearing the oohs and ahhs from my family members as I cut through the green frosting and the red cake is revealed. A more festive looking Christmas dessert is hard to come by. And to top it off the taste of a red velvet cake sure beats a couple of Christmas cookies.
RED VELVET CAKE
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1-1/2 teaspoons vinegar
2 teaspoons red food coloring
Frosting:
5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
A few drops of green food coloring (if desired)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 2 8-inch round cake pans and line with waxed paper.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time; beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat well.
Sift flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
Combine buttermilk, vinegar and food coloring. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour into pans.
Bake 35 to 45 minutes. Cool.
To make frosting: In a small saucepan, cook flour and milk into a thick paste. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar; add vanilla. Add flour mixture and food coloring; beat until it reaches a whipped-cream consistency.
Split each cooled cake to make a total of 4 layers. Frost each layer and top of cake.
Serves 12.
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