Barbara Ann’s Perfect Southern Red Velvet Cake

Tayari Jones shares with us her mom’s recipe for her sumptuous and rich red velvet cake! Tayari says if you’ve only had store-brought red velvet cake — you have been missing out. Red velvet cakes made in commercial kitchens are dense and heavy so they can travel well. But Tayari is from Atlanta; she is Georgia girl through and through, and she says a “proper red velvet cake can’t go anywhere” easily because it is light and crumbly and delicate.

Serving Size 5-6

Ingredients

• For three 8 inch layers

  2 1⁄2 cups sifted all purpose flour

  1 1⁄2 cups sugar

  1 teaspoons soda

  1 teaspoons salt

  1 teaspoons cocoa

  1 cups buttermilk

  2/3 cup butter or margarine

  2/3 cup vegetable oil

  1 teaspoons vinegar

  1 teaspoons vanilla

  2 eggs

  1 1/3 ounces ( 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons) red food coloring

• Cream cheese frosting

  2/3 cup butter

  8 ounce- package cream cheese

  2/3 teaspoon vanilla

  2 2/3 cups powdered sugar

  2/3 cup pecans or walnuts

• Garnish
  finely chopped pecans

Step 1

MIXING INSTRUCTIONS

Line bottom of baking pans with waxed or parchment paper. Grease sides of pans. Set aside.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, soda, salt, and cocoa together. Set aside.

Step 3

Cream butter or margarine and vegetable oil. Add sugar and cream until fluffy.

Step 4

Beat in eggs.

Step 5

Add vinegar and vanilla. Mix until fluffy.

Step 6

Add food coloring.

Step 7

Fold in dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk.

Step 8

Bake until done, about 25 minutes.

(Makes 7 cups batter).

#MichelesKitchenNotes We are going to have to try our hand at one of these confections in OUR family kitchen, including the sprinkling of finely chopped pecans on top.