the lost cake.

here’s a story.

once upon a time my mom taught me how to make her famous red waldorf cake. AKA red velvet cake, FYI.

i took photos of the entire baking experience. well, aside from the frosting, because i wasn’t there for that.

i told you guys all about it!

i promised you a recipe would be coming soon.

then i thought i had LOST the camera card that had all the cake baking photos.

today, i was looking through my photos on my hard drive. i came across a folder full of photos, entitled “New Folder”.

curious, i clicked.

guess what i found?

photos of penny.

photos of randy.

photos of marshall.

and.. YES.. photos of the cake.

hallelujah! it’s a recipe blogging miracle.

for the record, it really is a great time for me to find these photos. why, you ask? well work was crazy busy all day. that’s what happens when you plan to take off for the rest of the week. furthermore, my meals were very ho-hum as i am not feeling so hot. we are talking plain oatmeal for breakfast, tomato soup for lunch and mac & cheese for dinner. and you can forget about any moves. the only move i’ve been making is from the kitchen to the couch!

so, without further ado, i bring you momma b’s famous red waldorf cake recipe & how-to.

my mom has had the same distinct handwriting my whole life. it never changes. my handwriting changes all the time. but my mom’s? there is nothing quite like it. i tried to replicate it over and over in junior high and high school.. obviously trying to forge late notes to explain why i was always tardy or absent from class.

see that writing below? in the dark ink? yeah.. that is my handwriting. a few years ago. it looks nothing like that now.

anyway, moving onto the cake!

turns out, making this cake is VERY methodical. if you do one step out of order or wrong.. your whole cake will be a complete flop. and we all know i don’t like flops. so, you have been warned, follow these directions carefully!

ingredients for the cake:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 oz red food coloring
• 2 heaping TB unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup buttermilk (or 2 TB white vinegar dissolved in 7/8 cup milk—but real buttermilk works best!)
• 2 cups cake flour less 2 T each cup (this is a fancy way of saying 1 3/4 cup flour, i discovered)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 TB white vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

directions for the cake:

cream together shortening, sugar and eggs.

in a separate bowl, combine food coloring and cocoa powder.

mix well.

 

 

 

 

 

add this to the creamed mixture you started with.

mix well.

alternate mixing in a bit of buttermilk, mix well, then a bit of flour, mix well, repeat until both ingredients are gone.

 

combine vinegar and soda in a small bowl and stir together.

pour mixture into the batter.

mix well. see a theme here? lots of well mixing.

time to add your vanilla and salt!

 

and, you guessed it, mix well.

grease and flour two 9” round cake tins.

pour cake batter evenly between the two pans.

lick the beaters.

and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 38 minutes.

a toothpick should come out clean when they are done.

 

ingredients for the frosting:

• 6 TB all purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 sticks (1 cup) of salted butter
• 2 sticks (1 cup) of margarine
• 2 TB vanilla extract

(do NOT substitute the butter/margarine mixture or it will not work)

this makes a TON of frosting—assuming you are doing a 4 layer cake. if you choose to do just a 2 layer cake, simply divide this recipe in half.

frosting directions:

you can start on your frosting while the cake is baking.

first, combine the flour and milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

 

make sure you STIR CONSTANTLY as this can easily scorch and you will have to start over.

one it comes to a boil, remove from stove and layer with a piece of saran wrap.

put it in the fridge to cool.

the next steps i don’t have photos of.. so use your imagination!

cream together butter, margarine and sugar. mix these together real well. in momma b’s words: “Cream them until well mixed, you will still taste some sugar granules, but whip the daylights out of it!”

you heard the woman. whip the daylights out of it.

once the flour mixture has cooled COMPLETELY, remove it from the fridge and combine the flour mixture & butter mixture together.

mix, mix, mix.

about halfway through mixing, add your vanilla extract. mix some more.

when frosting is smooth and creamy, you are ready to frost the cake!

if you want to cut the two circle layers into two, remove cake from pan then take a long piece of waxed dental floss, position it at the halfway mark and then cross the dental floss and pull it thru the cake – tada! 2 layers. (that was momma b’s trick!)

otherwise, you can do two layers and just dump the cakes out and frost between then sides then the top. and yes, the term “dump the cakes out” was a direct quote from my mom.

finally, sing happy birthday and cut the cake :)

this is the best red cake you will EVER eat.

i promise.

if you do decide to make momma b’s red waldorf cake, she wanted me to let you know that you are more than welcome to mail her a slice.. or maybe just a beater.

i am packing and then leaving on a jet plane.. i will try to post while i am away. but, if not, i do have some stellar posts lined up! my interview with body-forLIFE grand champion, emily alvers, as well as a very cool giveaway. stay tuned!

Qs~

1. are there any recipes you make that were passed down from your relatives?

2. do you like red cake?

xo. janetha g.

Tagged as: cake, momma b, recipe