Sylvia's Red Velvet Cake

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Total: 55 min
  • Prep: 25 min
  • Cook: 30 min
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Ingredients

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

2 teaspoons Dutch process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 ounces red food coloring

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened

1 pound box confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

  1. For the Cake:
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. In a medium bowl or on a piece of waxed paper, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk. Beat in food coloring and vinegar, then add vanilla. Spread the batter evenly in the pans.
  4. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
  5. For the Frosting:
  6. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter. Beat in confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Stir in pecans. Use frosting to fill and ice cake.
  7. Slice and serve on individual plates.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Jerilyn W.

Was so excited to find this recipe as my old family recipe got destroyed in the flood of August 2016. This was the closest match I could find, going by the amount of food coloring. I do mix the ingredients my old way--see below. Very moist and delicious! <br /><br />My daughter requests this cake every year for her birthday, for last 10 or so years. I make a vegan version of this with a vegan frosting. <br /><br />Slight variation on mixing ingredients: mix chocolate with food coloring, stir in with other wet items; put soda in prep bowl or small cup and add vinegar (this will fizz) and fold in last. I also bake in a 11x13 sheet pan lined with parchment rather than layers.

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