Red Velvet Cake to Finish the Holidays

Granny's Red Velvet Cake

Missy Tippens

As usual, my son requested red velvet cake for his birthday this month. I can't believe it, but my "baby", my middle one, turned 20! How did that happen so quickly??

I've shared the recipe before. (Click here.) It comes from my college roommate's Grandmother. Melinda used to brings slices of this back with her after a weekend at home. It took all my willpower not to eat through the whole plate full as soon as she arrived on Sunday evenings! :)

Since you can click to get the recipe above, I'm just going to share the photos of making the cake this year. It turned out pretty good for a Missy cake.  :)

LOOK! I finally found Softasilk flour!! And check out the recipe card. It's written by Granny, who died several years ago. Once she was gone, I offered the card as a gift to my roommate, but she said she wanted me to have it since I loved Granny's cake so much. So I treasure it!

I think instead of being called The Belle, I just need to be called She Who is Never Prepared and Cooks with Whatever Ingredients She has on Hand. Above, you see that I forgot to buy buttermilk and had to make my own with regular milk and lemon juice. This seems to be a theme of mine. (big sigh)

Sifting the flour and cocoa. I use a lot of chocolate in my recipe. In fact, I use more than Granny did. And I also only use a half a bottle of red food coloring instead of a whole one. Somehow I just can't bring myself to dump a whole bottle in there! :)

You can see it's heavy on the chocolate, not so bright red. And do you remember from last time that the layers, hot out of the oven, get warm milk with sugar drizzled over them? It makes it so moist!

Now, one of my very favorite icings--cream cheese icing. YUM.

At the the last minute, I remembered to take a photo! Thankfully, before it was gone. You'll have to let me know if you make the red velvet recipe!

Looks Like I Picked the Wrong Week to Quit Eating

Okay, so I didn't really quit eating, but after confessing my decision to make a lifestyle change last week, life just went absolutely bonkers. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to reach for something sickeningly sweet, fatty or starchy just to "help me get through." And, while I do not condone any of the behaviors in this video, this clip from the movie Airplane is what kept popping into my mind.

Did you know that when you add three more dogs and a seven year old granddaughter to an already chaotic life, things just get more chaotic?

But you know what they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

All this to say there wasn't much cooking going on last week. At least nothing new.

So what did I do?

Well, I definitely increased my veggie intake. 

I got to indulge in my low-fat version of shrimp and grits. (recipe here)

And then there was that yummy salmon. (recipe here)

But truth be told, I really would have like some of this. (recipe here)

Or this. (recipe here)

But I didn't, so we're making progress.

And it was progress indeed. As I told you last week, I weigh myself every day and write it down.

I did not go up once this week. And when all was said and done, 

I was down 4 pounds for the week.

Yaaaaayyyy!!!!!

Just the impetus I need to keep going.

Oh! And Jan, I got a notice that the book came in early so I should have it tomorrow.

Yay, yay!!! (because then maybe I can have something that will suppress my sweet tooth without adding to my bottom line. ;-)

But while I don't have a new recipe for you, I do have a gratuitous puppy pic.

Daddy has a new helper in the kitchen.

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Red Velvet Sheet Cake and A Surprise

Tex here, and as promised I'm sharing a recipe for red velvet sheet cake, the delectable treats I plied you all with last week.

This is another one of those recipes I borrowed from the PW, so let's hit it.

For the cake, you're going to need:

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• 1.5 fluid ounces red food coloring
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large sheet/jelly roll pan with nonstick baking spray. That's the kind with the flour in it.

Now, sift together the flour and salt and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda, and eggs. Add the vinegar and stir. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa and red food coloring. Set aside.

This is the set aside gang on the left.

I want to add here that if you like your red velvet cake with a little more cocoa flavor, go ahead and add more than the recipe calls for.

Now, cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy.

Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk/egg mixture until all combined.

 

Pour in the red mixture and beat until combined. Yes, it does look kind of like blood.

Suspense writers oughta love that :-)

Pour your batter into the prepared sheet pan.

 

You'll want to use something to spread the batter and even out the surface.

Then bake that puppy for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes.

 

Cool cake completely before icing.

Now the recipe says to remove the cake from the pan, but you don't have to. I did because I was cutting mine into squares for a party and I wanted them to be perfect. So, after it was frosted, I trimmed off the edges and then cut nice, somewhat precise squares.

 

But what about the frosting?

This is a classic red velvet frosting. This is what I had the first time I ever had red velvet cake.

It's light, it's fluffy....

But you gotta make it. So here we go.

 

Combine 1 cup whole milk and 5 tablespoons all purpose flour in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk constantly until thick.



 

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

This step is good to do while your cake is baking.

 

In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer--if you have a KitchenAid mixer, you'll want the paddle attachment, not the whisk attachment), cream 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter and 1 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy.

 

Add the cooled milk mixture and beat and beat and beat. It may look like it's not working, it may look like it's separating, but that just means you have to keep beating...

 

Until everything is fully combined.

It should be light and fluffy, similar to whipped cream.

 

This is before I trimmed those less-than-perfect edges.

 

You've seen this before, haven't you?

 

If you were going to a potluck/covered dish gathering, you might want to just frost it in the pan for easy transporting.

And, like I said, this doesn't have the cocoa flavor that some recipes do. As is, it has a light texture with a mild flavor.

 

By now you've probably scrolled and scrolled wondering what my surprise might be.

Well...

 

I now have a title for my September LI release.

 

THE DOCTOR'S FAMILY REUNION

(coming soon to a Walmart near you:-)

 

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

 

 

 

Story Time (With Red Velvet Cake)

So I sold a book. My FIRST book.

Am I excited?

You bet your sweet bippie :-)

Now before I break into the long, drawn out, possibly boring story of THE CALL, I want to entice you with some of this wonderful red velvet sheet cake. (The recipe will have to wait until next week)

Go ahead and eat all you want, it's on the house. (Just don't tell Ruthy)

When I started writing, some eight and a half years ago, I just knew I was destined to be the next Nora Roberts.

Then I joined a writer's group and got a nice dose of reality.

Back then, I was writing for the secular market. Shoot, I didn't even know there was such a thing as Christian fiction. No, that's not true. I had heard of it, but they were all prairie romances (no offence intended), and I was not a prairie romance kind of gal.

But God had other plans. And He used whatever avenue necessary to let me know that He wanted me to write for Him.

About that same time, I heard about a group completely devoted to Christian fiction and that people wrote just about everything that was in the secular market, but from a Christian worldview.

So, in 2006, I joined ACFW and have never regretted the decision to write for God's glory.

In 2010, my first novel, a romantic suspense, finaled in the Genesis. But it still wasn't good enough for publication. And today it still sits on my shelf because I had another calling--romance.

Oh, how I love to watch people fall in love. And what better place to do it than in a breath-taking setting like Ouray, Colorado. I fell in love the first time my MIL introduced me to the small alpine town where her parents' homesteaded in the 1920's.

Fast forward to ACFW Conference 2011, a conference I almost missed because my husband broke his back ten days before I was due to leave. He could barely get out of bed on his own, let alone dress himself. Nonetheless, he was determined that I was going to go.

So I did.

I pitched my Ouray story to Melissa Endlich and she requested the full manuscript. I'd never had a request for a full before, so this was VERY exciting.

I came home, polished that puppy, got it out the door in early October, and waited. And waited. Which turned out to be a good thing since, through the broken back, they discovered my husband had kidney cancer and had to have his kidney removed. Long story, just know that it was contained and he's cancer free.

Long about last spring I received a revision letter from Melissa. I brainstormed, rewrote, and sent it back to her this past October. Again, I waited, knowing that God's timing is perfect, and I would sell in His time.

So Friday morning I had just finished my quiet time. I was still in my comfy quiet-time chair, checking emails on my Ipad, when a new email popped up. Oh, my gosh. It's from Melissa Endlich! And she wants to talk to me!

My serene moment was over as my heart about pounded out of my chest. I rushed up the stairs to my husband's office.

"I just got an email from Melissa Endlich."

"So email her back." (like I wasn't going to)

When she called, she said those words I will never forget. "I'd like to offer you a contract."

I guess I had spent all my excitement before she called, because I was surprisingly calm. But then I screamed as soon as I hung up the phone.

So my book will come out THIS September, I'm fixin' to be neck deep in revisions, I finally get to see what an art fact sheet is, and I have no idea what my title will be.

But I got THE CALL. And it's every bit as exciting as I dreamed it would be. Actually, even more so, because by Friday's end, I had signed with Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency as well.

The publisher of my dreams, the editor of my dreams, and the agent of my dreams...all in one day.

God is so stinkin' good to me.

Oh, and in case you want to know a little bit of what my story is about:

Dr. Trent Lockridge came to Ouray, Colorado for a fresh start. What he finds is a son and the woman he betrayed ten years ago. Having grown up in the foster system, Trent’s greatest desire is to have a family. Is he destined to be alone or is love strong enough to overcome the past?

How about another piece of cake? You know you want one.

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A mix.

I've finally figured out how to make a decent red velvet cake and the secret is in... the mix.

:)

 Now you  purists may contend my error, but... I've tried so many stinkin' red velvet recipes and none of them came out as nicely as this. And did I mention it was easy???  And that all the grown ups here loved it? And the kids, too? Who else do I need to impress, right?  So follow the easy-peasy mix directions and make the cake... I used two 9" pans to get four layers for added cream cheese frosting goodness.  :) A cake's sole purpose in life should be to hold frosting. Yes, this is an ultimate Ruthy truism.

Bake as directed... note the reddish color? The camera did not do it justice, and we're not going to think about how much red dye #5 or 7 or 2 is in this baby, right? We're going for looks... and taste. Mostly taste because a lot of good looking baked goods taste like cardboard these days. We don't do cardboard in the cafe, no sirree, Bub!

 Cake is baked... It had a couple of cutesie, interesting bubbles come up on the top, very old fashioned. It turned out of the pans beautifully, did it not?  And note the package of Philadelphia cream cheese, watching... awaiting its turn in the mixer. Did you know that this cheese was developed in Philadelphia, New York (in the North Country) not Philadephia, PA?  Ruthy factoid #714.

Frosting ingredients!!!! OH. YAY!!!!

8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. butter
6 cups Confectioners/powdered/10X sugar, name of your choosing
3 tsp. vanilla

Cream softened cream cheese and butter together. Beat in sugar, one cup at a time. Add vanilla. Whip on high speed for about 4 minutes until thick and happy. You'll know the frosting is happy by the smile you get when you take a taste. Your smile makes the frosting VERY HAPPY.

 Now... slice the cakes in half to make four thinner layers.  Have a large cake plate ready for layer #1:

Spread icing across surface of cake. We don't care if the icing picks up red crumbs HERE... they're hidden. On the top and sides we care. Really. Truly. But I'm ahead of myself. Place second layer on first, repeat. And then keep doing that until top layer is in place. Go, go, go!!!!

 As the cake settled, I noticed the top was bulging just a little so I used my handy dandy bread knife and evened the top of the cake off by removing the thin slice you see above and putting it on a "come and get it" plate...  It's gone now, so clearly, someone got it!!!  Bye-bye, little cake!

Here's a Ruthy frosting tip:  Use a thin layer of frosting to GLUE CRUMBS to the CAKE... It works like magic. I take a spatula and press frosting along all sides of the cake. Notice the crumbs shining through? They're about to disappear because they're trapped in frosting like and evil dictator's take over the cosmic world of cake crumbs dastardly plan!!!!  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Now... gently smooth large dollops of frosting around sides of cake working from one side to the other, and never going back the original way!!!  So if you start on the right, keep rotating your plate in one direction to frost. This keeps your knife/spatula from picking up crumbs and plunking them down in the finished frosting layer...

On the top, apply several spoons full or spatula plops of frosting in the middle of the cake and spread gently toward edges... See below? No crumbs. You've locked them in and they CANNOT ESCAPE. Well, they can if you let kids help, but we don't care about crumbs if kids help because we like kids a lot, right?

Now you use the exact same technique for the sides, starting at one point and working your way around... The sides are a tiny bit trickier but while you pressed the initial trapping frosting into the cake to lock in Mr. and Mrs. Crumb and all their baby Crumbs?  Here you use a light touch, like painting a wall.

And there we have the finished product!!!  Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting for the crew watching the ACFW Awards Gala on Saturday night... in our jammies!!!

Suh----Weeeet!