Red Velvet Christmas Cake

If you're looking for a showstopper dessert for Christmas that tastes as good as it looks, have I got a cake for you! Seriously, nothing says "Christmas" like a red velvet cake, baked in square pans and decorated to look like the most delectable gift package ever to grace the holiday dessert table.

There must be hundreds of variations on red velvet cake, a different recipe in every southern cookbook, but I've never found one that could beat Miss Vickie's. Miss Vickie is a friend from Gordon, GA, and those ladies know when it comes to red velvet cake. Her recipe is so quick and easy -- dump all the ingredients in one bowl and mix it up -- that you won't mind the extra time it takes to decorate and, if you're the lazy type, (or it isn't Christmas), it makes a fine presentation just cooked in round pans and covered with the cream cheese butter cream frosting.

As a bonus, it's also the best tasting red velvet cake around, moist, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth yummy.

Merry Christmas, ya'll!

MISS VICKIE'S RED VELVET CAKE

2 1/2 cups cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 1-ounce bottle red food coloring

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredient in a large bowl. Pour into four prepared, (I use Baker's Secret), 8-inch square (or round) cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool in pans for 15 minutes then on cake racks until completely cool.

Frosting
(You'll need two batches for the "present" cake)

6 cups powdered confectioner's sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

Spread frosting with chopped pecans between layers of cake.

Make a second batch of the frosting, omitting the chopped nuts, to ice top and sides.

Make "ribbon" from foot-long fruit roll-ups, slightly moistened and coated with sparkling sugar. Unroll roll-up, leaving the paper backing on. Lightly spray with water and sprinkle with sugar. Let sit for a few minutes until sugar sets. Peel off backing, lay long strips across cake and fashion bow from shorter pieces folded over and pressed into icing on top of cake.

If you want to put gingerbread men on the side, purchased ones will do nicely. However, if you'd like to make your own, see my Gitmo Gingerbread Men recipe, previously posted, and maybe make them without the amputations, just this once.

Prepare for ohhhs and ahhhs (never fails), and make sure you ask somebody else to cut the cake. you won't be able to bear doing it yourself!