Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake and Heavenly Frosting

This was the cake my grandmother used to make. My grandmother told the story that she received this recipe from friends after they returned from a visit to New York City, long before I was born. They had eaten at the Waldorf Astoria and had requested the recipe from the chef. According to grandma, they received the recipe and a bill. They took it to their small town attorney and he told them they had to pay it. They did and then they shared the recipe with my grandmother.

My earliest memory of this was from Christmas 1959, when I was 4 years old. By then, grandma had been making this cake for years. Grandma always made this cake at Christmas with green Heavenly Frosting.

This cake was served at the Top of Waikiki, when I was in High School Fall 1969-Spring 1973.

This is the one I made in 8th grade; the one the Parable of the Failed Cake was written about.

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Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake
Recipe from grandma Mary Effie Flaugh
preheat oven to 350°

Ingredients:
½ cup shortening
1 ½ cup sugar
2 eggs

2 ounces red food coloring (no you are not bleeding internally– sometimes I substitute 1 ounce of water for half of the red food coloring)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 ½ cup flour
2 level tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon real vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon white (clear) vinegar

Directions:

Grease and flour three 8″ pans.

Cream together– shortening and sugar, until fluffy. Mix in whole eggs, add coloring. Sift– flour, salt, and cocoa, together. Beginning and ending with dry ingredients, add flour mixture and buttermilk; beating on medium after each addition, do not over mix. Add vanilla. Sprinkle batter with baking soda and vinegar. Gently fold baking soda and vinegar mixture into the batter; without beating. Over mixing will make the cake tough.

Bake in preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

Heavenly Frosting

Ingredients:
5 heaping tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup softened butter ( I have also used margarine or Crisco™ when I did not have butter)

Optional: 1 drop green food coloring

Directions:

Cook flour and milk in a sauce pan on the stove, stirring constantly; with a wire whisk until thickened, like a thick white cream sauce, or pudding. Cool mixture completely. Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy, beat in vanilla and food coloring. Whip in cooled cooked mixture, on high speed until fluffy like whipped cream.