Red Velvet Cake

Finding the perfect Red Velvet Cake or Cupcake is one of those life-long quests. Every single Red Velvet Cake/Cupcake that I've tried in my life has tasted differently both to me and my parents. I always go around to all the local Miami bakeries trying to figure out whose Red Velvet tastes the best, and thankfully, I have found it. How? Not thanks to a bakery. The thanks go to The Cake Slice Bakers. All of us vote every month for next month's cake. In December, we all chose this Red Velvet Cake from Southern Cakes as the first cake of 2010. I was really excited to make it because this cake was different. It wasn't paired with the traditional Cream Cheese Frosting. It was paired with a boiled milk and flour frosting that turns into Coconut-Pecan Icing, sort of like a German Chocolate Cake topping. The cake itself was amazing. It had a nice texture and a really red color to it, with only 1 oz of food coloring. The frosting was incredible. It was light, tasty, and matched perfectly. I even think it matches better than the traditional Cream Cheese Frosting it goes with. According to the book where this recipe comes from, "nobody knows for sure where this cake comes from, but lots of people agree with me [Nancie] that it is one magnificent cake. Its signature carmine coloration is dazzling, and I adore its tangy little grace note of flavor, created by the unusual combination of vinegar, buttermilk, and cocoa in the batter. Red food coloring is the not-so-secret ingredient responsible for its sassy color. Try gel paste food coloring if you'd like to experiment with another route to red."

Red Velvet Cake
*serves 8 to 10*

Ingredients:
CAKE
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp cocoa
one 1-oz bottle red food coloring
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cider vinegar

COCONUT-PECAN ICING
1 cup whole milk
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Directions:
1) To make the cake, heat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans generously, and line them with waxed paper or kitchen parchment. Grease the paper and flour the pans.
2) Prepare three separate mixtures for the batter: Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl and use a fork to mix them together well. Stir the vanilla into the buttermilk. Combine the cocoa and the red food coloring in a small bowl, mashing and stirring them together to make a thick, smooth paste.
3) In a large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer at low speed for 1 minute, until creamy and soft. Add the sugar, and then beat well for 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl now and then. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one, until the mixture is creamy, fluffy, and smooth. Scrape the cocoa-food coloring paste into the batter and beat to mix it in evenly.
4) Add about a third of the flour mixture, and then about half the milk, beating the batter with a mixer at low speed, and mixing only enough to make the flour or liquid disappear into the batter. Mix in another third of the flour, the rest of the milk, and then the last of the flour in the same way.
5) In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and vinegar and stir well. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to quickly mix this last mixture into the red batter, folding it in gently by hand. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.
6) Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the layers spring back when touched lightly in the center and are just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pans.
7) Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks or folded kitchen towels for 15 minutes. Then turn them out on the racks or on plates, remove the paper, and turn top side up to cool completely.
8) To make the icing, combine the milk and flour in a small or medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking or stirring often, until the mixture thickens almost to a paste, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and scrape it into a small bowl to cool completely.
9) Meanwhile, beat the butter with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar in thirds, beating well each time, until the mixture is creamy and fairly smooth. Add the cooled milk-and-flour mixture and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides now and then, to combine everything well. Using a large spoon or your spatula, stir in the vanilla, coconut, and pecans, mixing to combine everything well into a thick, fluffy, nubby icing.
10) To complete the cake, place one layer, top side down, on a cake stand or a serving plate, and spread icing on the top. Place the second layer, right side up, on top. Frost the sides and then the top of the cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more to help the icing set.