Red Velvet Cake

By msippigrl

Red velvet cake (cake mix or scratch) with the most delectable homemade frosting that simply melts in your mouth! No cream cheese in this heritage recipe!

Ingredients

• Frosting:
• 2 baked and cooled red velvet cake layers*
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 sticks (1 c) unsalted butter, OR 1 stick butter plus 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I used Crisco), room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Scant 1 teaspoon vanilla

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Frosting:

In a small non-stick saucepan, whisk flour and milk together until smooth and lump free. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until bubbly and thick. Pour it into a small bowl then place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of it to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside to cool completely. (I cooled at room temperature about 15 minutes then put it in the refrigerator to finish cooling.)

In a large mixing bowl and using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla until very light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl frequently. (This takes about 10 minutes for the sugar to dissolve which is crucial to the outcome of the frosting.)

Beat the cooled flour mixture into the creamed mixture until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. The frosting should have a texture similar to homemade whipped cream.

Frost between layers, top and sides of cooled cake. Cake must be stored in the refrigerator, but best served at room temperature (set out about 20-30 minutes ahead).

NOTE:
*I used Betty Crocker Red Velvet cake mix for the cake layers.
I removed the domes from the baked and cooled cake layers with a cake leveler, then crumbled for decorating the cake.