Red Velvet Cake

Hello, again. The last time I wrote was Friday, November 23, 2007. To some, it would almost appear that I was so heartbroken by the loss of our little Phoebe that I opted not to write ever again. However, that is not the case and there is no point in relenting over the situation. Whenever I have the chance, which might not be on a daily basis, I will write a few words. So, then, let's start afresh ...

Red Velvet Cake

This fun and pretty cake has been around for decades and is always quite popular, especially around Valentine's Day or Christmastime. Some would liken it to a Devils Food Cake but it doesn't have a great amount of chocolate (in this case, cocoa) in it. As a matter of fact, there is very little cocoa in the recipe, but there is red food coloring to give it that "reddish" look.

There are all kinds of stories about the birth of this cake. Most of them are similar to the one that reveals the "famous Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie" -- I'm sure you know that one by now. However, the recipe that I have was given to me by a friend in the early 1970's and I was told that it was given to her by an aunt who had gone to a classy restaurant in New York City, where she was served this gorgeous red cake with fluffy whipped cream-like frosting. Well, there was no doubt about it ... auntie had to have the recipe! She summoned the chef and begged him to reveal his secret recipe. She was told that he would be happy to give her the recipe if she "promised" not to give it away. {Yeah, right!} Well, she did give it away to her niece, who, in turn, gave it to me. BIG SECRET ... shh ... shh!

Would you believe that for years, I guarded that recipe and would not give it away to anyone. Now I'm finding so many versions of the cake -- many are similar to the one I have and, depending on who is doing the writing, the ingredients and measurements can change. So, I guess there are several versions of this gorgeous cake and various frosting recipes, as well. Some of the cakes have a cream cheese frosting while others use a creamy vanilla frosting. So, what it comes down to is this -- make the cake and frosting recipe which best suits your taste!

I made one the weekend of February 10th because in our church, we have an annual potluck luncheon following our worship service. Anyone who brings an edible, must prepare it in the colors of red or pink (Valentine's colors) or in the shape of a heart. Of course, "yours truly" made a heart-shaped cake. The day was also the birthday of one of gals on the committee so I decided that making her a heart-shaped Red Velvet Cake would serve the purpose.

HOPE YOUR VALENTINE's DAY WAS HAPPY!