There’s a story that goes with this cake that adds to its intrigue.  Many years ago a restaurateur  from St. Louis was eating at a famous restaurant in New York and fell in love with this cake. When she returned home she wrote to the restaurant and requested a copy of the recipe. They in turn mailed it to her with a bill for $250. Stunned by this, she in turn posted it in the local newspaper for all to enjoy. Now I’m sure you’ve eaten red velvet cake, but once you try your hand at this one, you’ll understand why it was worth every penny. Be careful what you wish for, right?

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whit sugar

1/2 cup Crisco

2 Eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 2/1 cups cake flour sifted

2 oz. red food coloring

2 tbsp. cocoa

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda dissolved in 1 tbsp. vinegar

Directions  for cake:

Cream  sugar and crisco. Add eggs alternately. Make a paste of the flour and buttermilk  combine into mixture. Add food coloring, cocoa, vanilla, salt and vinegar mixture.  Blend all together well.  Bake in 3 round cake pans (the picture shows 2 but 3 gives you more frosting) in 350 degree oven for 30 min.

Ingredients for filling/frosting:

5 tbsp. flour

1 cup milk

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions for filling/frosting:

Cook until thick & then cool–5 tbsp. flour and 1 cup milk

Cream together and add to cool mixture—-1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar (added gradually) and 1 tsp. vanilla.

After cake has cooled for 10-15 min. remove from pans and allow to cool completely before frosting. Place first layer upside down on plate and top with frosting. Place next layer upside down on top of first and top with frosting. Place final layer right-side-up on top and frost the entire cake. If you like lots of frosting feel free to double the above amounts.