Baking Up A Slice Of The South

I can't tell you how honored I feel.

No sooner did I post my adventures in Nashville, when the family friend behind the heavenly Groom's Cake at Stacy's wedding agreed to send me the recipe.

Silly me. How could I have thought that her Red Velvet Cake's vanilla icing derived its rich taste and texture from everyday, ho-hum cream cheese? I'm such a Yankee fool!

Thankfully, now I know better. The magic ingredient is Crisco, of course! My understanding is that Crisco has long been considered a fifth food group in the South. Or is that Bourbon? Anywhichway, here's the recipe...

Red Velvet Cake:
1\2 cup shortening
1 1\2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 oz. red food coloring
3 T. cocoa
2 1\4 cups plain flour
3/4 tsp.. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp.vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vinegar
Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs one at a time. Make paste of cocoa and food coloring. Add to sugar mixture. Add flour and salt mixture alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla. Mix soda and vinegar and fold into mixture. Bake 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. This will make (1) 11x15 or (2) nine inch rounds or (2) 8 inch squares

Buttercream Icing:
1 stick margarine
1\2 cup Crisco
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat until creamy. Add 2/3 cup warm milk slowly to mixture. Mix until you feel no sugar grains. (Beat a lot). For the record - two batches of this icing are preferable for covering the cake thoroughly.

Enjoy y'all!