Happy Valentine's Day

Whether you have a special date night planned with your Valentine, or a long distance Skype date with them, or even a fun girls night with those special friends in your life, I hope you have a very FABULOUS and SWEET Valentine's day! My Valentine to you is my family's wonderful Red Velvet Cake recipe. This recipe has been in our family forever and it is to die for! I made it for my husband last night and I can't wait to eat it tonight after dinner! I tried to make it a little "cleaner" by using unbleached flour, pure cane sugar, and fat free cream cheese.  (note: cleaner doesn't necessarily mean "healthier" all the time… but everyone deserves to indulge ever now and again) I hope you will give it a try, I promise you will and your Valentine will L.O.V.E. it!

Red Velvet Cake

For the Cake

• 2 ½ cup flour (self rising)
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp cocoa
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 ½ cup oil
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp butter flavor
• 2 eggs
• 1 oz red bottle food coloring
• 1tsp vanilla 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Mix the 3 dry ingredients together. 
3. Add in other ingredients in order and then beat for 2-3 min. 
4. Split the batter into 2 circle cake pans
5. Bake 28-32 min. 

Frosting:

• 1 stick of butter softened
• 1 (8oz) cream cheese softened
• 1 lb confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans

1. Beat together all ingredients in an electric mixer except the nuts
2. stir in nuts
3. wait until cake is COMPLETELY cool before icing.
4. spread on a thick layer onto of one of the cake rounds and then place the other one on top
5. using a spatula, spread the remaining icing all over the cake
6. enjoy!

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: So I have a embarrassing confession, first go at this beautiful cake, I used all purpose, unbleached, organic flour because it was on sale thinking (stupidly) that It wouldn't make a big difference not being SELF RISING… well needless to say i was wrong…. I could tell right when I took it out of the oven, that that was NOT my mama's wonderful Red Velvet Cake. I took a bite and it tasted like a doggie biscuit (or how I would imagine doggie biscuits tasting) so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use SELF RISING FLOUR and save your self a heart break :-)