My Grandmother, on my Mother's side, was a home baker. Most all of her baking was done for church functions and for family and friends. Growing up, most Sundays mornings were spent at church then at my Grandmother's for Sunday lunch which she called dinner. One of the most popular things she baked was her Red Velvet Cake. Over the years, I was lucky enough to be able to join my Grandmother in her kitchen many times and those are some of my fondest memories. To this day, her Red Velvet Cake is one of my favorite things to bake. I'm not sure where her recipe came from but I know it's the only one she ever used. 

I've had many people tell me they've tried lots of Red Velvet Cakes and some have a more chocolate flavor. Traditionally, Red Velvet isn't meant to be "chocolate" tasting. Red Velvet has cocoa powder along with vinegar and buttermilk to add to the red color achieved primarily from the red food coloring. Buttermilk also gives it a slightly tangy flavor and the vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise.

Hopefully you enjoy this recipe and cake as much as my family and the ones it has been baked for, over the years! 

Rum Cake

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C Sugar
• 2 1/2 C Flour
• 1 C Buttermilk
• 1 1/2 C Vegetable Oil
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Cocoa
• 1 tsp Vinegar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Small Bottle Red Food Coloring
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°. Greast and flour cake pans. Place sugar and vegetable oil in mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until combined. Add eggs and mix for two minutes. In separate mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and cocoa. Rotate mixing in dry ingredients and buttermilk starting and ending with flour mixture, just until combined. Add vinegar, vanilla and red food coloring and mix until combined. Separate batter evenly into cake pans. I use 4 8" cake pans and bake for approximately 15-18 minutes. 

 

Icing Ingredients

• 1 lb Box Confectioners Sugar
• 8 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1 stick Butter (softened)
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla (clear)
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 C Chopped Pecans

Mix cream cheese and butter on high until creamed (about 2 minutes). Add in confectioners sugar slowly with mixer on lowest speed, along with vanilla and salt. Once all sugar is added in, turn mixer up to medium speed and mix for 2-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Stir in pecans. *This makes just barely enough icing to add a thin layer between each cake layer and on the top and sides. I prefer more icing so I double my icing recipe when making this Red Velvet Cake. 

 

Let cake layers cool in pan for approximately 2 minutes then turn out onto towel or cooling rack. Let cool completely. Once layers are cool, add icing as desired.*