Legendary Sweets
Legendary Sweets
In this week’s "Hometown Recipes," we present a cake whose origins are rooted in urban legend and a candy so tasty, and easy, that your family may devise a myth that surrounds its creation.
According to various published accounts of Red Velvet Cake, a woman wrote to the chef at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City to ask for the recipe of the delicious cake she enjoyed while staying at the hotel. Shortly afterward, she received the recipe along with a bill for $100. Outraged at the cost, she decided to circulate the instructions to anyone who would take her recipe cards. Red Velvet Cake soon became popular, and recipes for it began appearing in community cookbooks in the middle of the 20th century.
Carla Champion, of Buffalo, S.C., sent us her favorite recipe for this bright red cake with a mild chocolate flavor. "I baked many Red Velvet Cakes before this recipe. Some were hard and others were awful. This one is moist and has become a family favorite," she says.
The recipe for Pecan Bark comes from Dorothy Huberman of Kilgore, Texas. A perfect holiday snack, this easy-to-make treat makes a great holiday gift because it doesn’t require refrigeration. "I’ve had this recipe for years," Huberman says. "People always rave about it! I like to make it with Keebler brand Cinnamon Crisp crackers."
As always, American Profile looks forward to receiving—and publishing—your favorite recipes each week, and sharing them with our millions of readers across the nation.
Red Velvet Cake - Carla Champion, Buffalo, S.C.
- 2 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ounce red food coloring
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour three 9-inch round pans. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, eggs, oil, baking soda, vanilla and food coloring. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, cocoa powder and vinegar. Stir well. Combine contents of both bowls and blend well. Pour batter into pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until center springs to the touch. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes and turn layers out onto waxed paper. Set aside to cool and make icing.
Icing:
- 7 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
- 3/4 cup margarine
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Whip together all icing ingredients until creamy and thick. Place one cake layer on cake plate and spread top with icing. Put second layer on top and spread with icing. Place third layer on top, and ice the top and sides of entire cake.
Pecan Bark - Dorothy Huberman, Kilgore, Texas
- 1 cup unsalted butter, no substitutes
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 24 graham cracker squares
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 10-by-15-inch cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil. Place graham crackers on the cookie sheet in one layer. (It should fit exactly 24.) Sprinkle pecans evenly over the top and set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add brown sugar, and stir until the mixture boils. Boil for 1 minute. Pour mixture evenly over graham crackers and pecans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately place the hot cookie sheet in the freezer. Remove the pan after 1 hour, and break the bark into pieces. This candy does not need to be refrigerated.
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