Recipe Box: Mama’s Cousin’s Southern Red Velvet Cake

There are a few cakes from childhood that dance deliciously in your memory, forever. They are the beautiful cakes that symbolize nostalgia and will always remind you a little bit of the magic of your youth.

For me, one of these is my Mom’s Southern Red Velvet Cake.

Mama's Cousin's Southern Red Velvet Cake

Actually it’s her cousin’s recipe so I call it, “Mama’s Cousin’s Southern Red Velvet Cake.” Whatever the name, it’s delicious. The rich red velvet cake pairs perfectly with the creamy, cream cheese frosting and it’s sweet, rich and delicious while still having a bit of a refined taste as it’s not too sweet. This might be attributed to the acidic elements of buttermilk or vinegar in the cake (yes, VINEGAR!!) but the two tastes of sweet and tart balance each other out so well.

So when my friend, stylist Jennie C., was having a birthday party and I found out that her favorite cake was red velvet. I knew immediately the recipe I would use. I promptly got on the horn and called Mama for the recipe.

While it’s messy to make – it seriously looks like an episode of True Blood at points…

– in the end, this cake beautiful to look at, gorgeous to display or take to a shindig and scrumptious to eat.

Mama's Cousin's Southern Red Velvet Cupcakes

Without further ado…

Mama’s Cousin’s Southern Red Velvet Cake or Cupcakes

2 ounces red food coloring (I prefer the Wilton No-Taste Red)

3 tablespoons cocoa

½ cup vegetable shortening

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ cups sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix food coloring with cocoa and set aside.  Beat shortening with sugar; add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add food coloring mixture and vanilla.  Alternately add flour, salt, and buttermilk, beating well.  Stir in vinegar and baking soda. For cake, grease bottom and sides of three pans and line each with wax paper (cutting off excess at top). Bake in 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes.  Makes one 3-layer cake or one large loaf cake. For cupcakes, Bake for 18-24 minutes (makes approx 28 cupcakes). Let cake cool before frosting.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting:  Cream together 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, 1 bag of confectioners’ sugar plus 2 tablespoons, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 stick butter, softened.

 

xoxo,
BF

 

BF Asks: What cake from your childhood dances deliciously in your memory?

Recipe Box Friday: Buttermilk Vanilla Pancakes with Buttermilk Vanilla Syrup

BeautyFrosting's Buttermilk Vanilla Pancakes with Buttermilk Vanilla Syrup

BeautyFrosting's Buttermilk Vanilla Pancakes with Buttermilk Vanilla Syrup

Whenever I think of buttermilk, I always think of buttermilk & cornbread with my Papaw and Wilbur’s buttermilk bath in Charlotte’s Web. Both are sweet memories of the tart stuff! And I LOOOOVE me some buttermilk! My fridge is never without it.
This past Saturday, I cooked up the most delicious breakfast I’ve ever made.
Oh dear God! It was so mouthwateringly delicious that I am getting hungry right now as I write this.
Making pancakes AND syrup might seem a little daunting but oh, honey, it’s not!
You’ll be thanking me!Homemade Buttermilk Vanilla pancakes! Homemade Buttermilk Vanilla Syrup! GO!!
Buttermilk Vanilla Pancakes
2 Eggs
2 C Buttermilk
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla extract
1/4 C Melted Butter
2 C Flour
1 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
Ground Vanilla Bean (amount to your liking)
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Add eggs, buttermilk, vanilla & melted butter and mix well.
OPTIONAL: Add desired amount of ground vanilla bean and mix well.
OPTIONAL: Chocolate Chips, Blueberries, Bananas, Pecans or Apples. Yummy!
Butter that skillet with, well, BUTTER!!
Cook each side until lightly golden. While cooking the rest of the pancakes, warm cooked pancakes in oven on the WARM setting.
And this lady likes a few of 'em with chocolate chips too!

And this lady likes a few of 'em with chocolate chips too!

Buttermilk Vanilla Syrup
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
Ground Vanilla Bean (amount to your liking)
Boil buttermilk. Reduce heat to medium. Add sugar and butter and turn heat to high and let boil for one minute.
Next (Last step!), ADD:
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda=OPTIONAL
Cook, and stir consistently, for 2 minutes until smooth.
It may settle a little but no fear! Just taste and enjoy the goodness.
xoxo,
BF
BF Asks: What’s your favorite add-in (chocolate chips, blueberries, bananas, nuts, peanut butter, nutella, apples) to put in pancakes?

BeautyFrosting’s Buttermilk Lemon Chess “Peep Pie” Recipe

Hi beauties!
I hope your Easter and Passover were memorable!

My “Classic Southern Easter Dinner” was such a lovely time.
There’ll be more details on that tomorrow but, for now, I wanted to give you a little taste.
And by taste I mean my Buttermilk Lemon Chess “Peep Pie” recipe.

BeautyFrosting's Buttermilk Lemon Chess Peep Pie

BeautyFrosting’s Buttermilk Lemon Chess Peep Pie

1 c Sugar

3 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour

3 large eggs (beaten well)

1/2 c Unsalted Butter (1 stick), melted

1 c Buttermilk

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

3 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1-2 Tbsp Lemon Zest

Preheat oven to 425.

You can either make a Shortbread cookie pie crust, a Cornflake pie crust (recipes below) or use a frozen pie crust to keep it simple.

Filling:
Combine flour and sugar. Mix well.

Add butter, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is super easy with a juicer!

MIx completely until smooth. There will be bits of lemon zest.

Pour into pie crust of choice.

Bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

Turn down oven to 350 and bake for 30-35 minutes longer.

Filling will be puffed up a bit and a little jiggly.

Remove from oven and cool so it firms a bit.

At Easter or in Spring, top with yellow duck Peeps.

Best served warm! But chills beautifully, as well.

 

A little slice of lemon-y, Peepalicious heaven!

Shortbread Cookie Pie Crust

1 c Butter

1/2 c confectioners’ sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Stir together flour and baking powder; blend into butter mixture. Press into a 9 inch pie plate
Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes, or until edges are golden.
Use pie guard to protect edges while baking pie, OR,
Let cool before filling with prepared filling.
Corn Flake Cereal Crust
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) Unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 c Cornflake Crumbs
1/4 c Sugar
Combine butter, sugar and corn flake crumbs.
Press into a 9-inch pie pan/dish.
Bake for  8 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool on rack for 10 minutes.
Use pie guard to protect edges while baking pie.

I’ll have a full rundown tomorrow and recipes will be going on for daaaays!!

Enjoy.

And,as always,  if you try a BeautyFrosting recipe out, please shoot me a note or a pic letting me know how it went. I love that!

 

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: Have you ever had chess pie before?