The Eaton’s Red Velvet Cake
Recipe Mari Loewen, Photography Ross Cornish
My friend Laura remembers Saturday shopping trips with her mom. They would ride the bus to Eaton's, a downtown department store, and always end their day with Eaton's Special Red Velvet Cake. Someone shared the recipe with her and she's sharing it here with us. A stunning red and gloriously rich red, velvety cake.
Ingredients
Makes 3 (9-inch) cakes
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ounces red food colouring
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved with 1 tablespoon vinegar
Frosting
5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
1 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 3 9inch baking pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
In bowl of electric mixer, place shortening and sugar, beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at time, mixing after each. In side bowl, make paste of food colouring, cocoa, and salt; add to shortening mixture and mix well. Add vanilla and mix well. Add baking soda vinegar mixture and mix well. Sift in flour, alternating with buttermilk and ending with flour. Mix until smooth. Pour into pans and bake 40 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Remove and cool; invert cakes onto cooling racks and cool completely.
For frosting, in small bowl, whisk flour and milk gradually until smooth. Place in double boiler over medium heat and bring to boil, then simmer until thickened. Cool. In bowl of electric mixer, place butter, icing sugar and vanilla and mix until fluffy. Add cooled boiled milk mixture gradually, beating until smooth.
To frost cakes, layer all 3 cakes with frosting, then frost entire cake. Serves 8.
