Some might say I am old.

Last week was my 30th birthday! Happy birthday to me! I think there are some people that think 30 is old. Luckily I am not one of them, so it isn’t a big deal. Since I believe in taking care of yourself and making your own fun for your birthday, i did just that. Craving my favorite birthday cake, i called Mamere and got her recipe for Red Velvet Cake. And then I made myself two batches, one as cupcakes and one as a 9×13 cake. I ate a lot of cake last week. When it was just about to go stale, I started eating it right out of the cake pan. Total Cake Massacre. It was delicious and I would do it again.

Mamere told me a little about her recipe. Apparently she got it it when she worked at the General Motors factory (must have been late 40’s) from a girl whose father worked in the kitchen at the Waldorf. Amazingly, the internet lists the Waldorf Astoria as the possible origin of the recipe. I am from Ohio and have eaten this cake almost every birthday of my life, so I certainly wouldn’t say this is a southern recipe, but somehow it has that reputation. See the end of this post for the recipe.

On to the birthday loot… I had to show you a few pictures of some gifts I got. Ingrid showed up with a perfectly wrapped gift… She sewed a little bag to serve as the giftwrap!

inside…. Last Minute Fabric Gifts Awesome!

Some other goodies include the cutest doormat in the world (from target!) and The Meat Club cookbook

I am off to finish my whiplash entry… Click ‘more’ if you don’t see Mamere’s Red Velvet Recipe below

Warning: This cake is a lot of work and takes a long time. After making it you will realize why cake mixes were invented. And it doesn’t stop at the cake. The frosting is something that I think many people of my (young) age have never even bothered to try – You have to cook it. There is flour involved… a lot of things could go wrong. BUT it is a delicious cake and even if it doesn’t turn out perfectly, you will enjoy it.

Mamere’s Red Velvet Cake

Traditionally, this cake is made in two small pans, and layered. Lazily, i made it in a 9 x 13 pan and had an extra thick layer of frosting on the top. Don’t even try this recipe without an electric mixer.
Cake:
1/2 cup butter (Mamere uses sweet cream butter and it doesn’t seem too salty to me)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups cake flour (sifted)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 oz red food coloring
2 Tablespoons cocoa
2 eggs
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix the cocoa and food coloring together into a paste.
Cream butter and sugar together with a mixer. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add the food coloring/cocoa paste and mix well. Add salt and vanilla. Alternate sifted flour and buttermilk, mixing well. TURN of off the mixer and get out a spatula and get ready to be quick. In a small bowl mix together the vinegar and baking soda. while it is still fizzing, pour it into the batter. Then gently FOLD it into the batter. Don’t mix it with the mixer or you’ll beat all of the bubbles out.

pour the mixture into a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Frosting:
5 teaspoons flour
1 cup milk

1 cup butter (this should be room temperature)
1 c sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

On the stove top on very low heat cook together the flour and milk until thick. If anything turns brown, throw it out an start over. The goal here is to make an Elmer’s glue-like substance. Once thickened LET IT COOL COMPLETELY (this takes a while). Meanwhile, Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixer. Add vanilla. When cool add the flour/milk mixture and whip until fluff. Ice the cake when cool.

That’s it. If you make one, let me know how it turns out.