Red Velvet Cake And Cream Cheese Icing (Paula Deen) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 ounces red food coloring
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar
For Icing
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup marshmallow creme
1 (1 lb) box powdered sugar
1 cup coconut, shredded (optional)
1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl cream sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy.
Add eggs on at a time.
Mix cocoa and food coloring together in a small bowl; add to mixture and mix well.
Sift together cake flour and salt.
Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.
Blend in vanilla.
In a small bowl combine baking soda and vineager. Add to mixture.
Pour batter into 2 9inch or 3 8 inch cake pans.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until done.
Cool completely before frosting.
For Icing:
Blend cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl.
Add marshmallow creme and sugar; blend well.
Fold in coconut and nuts if desired (or what I always do is press them into just the sides of the cake after I get the icing on it; very pretty this way!).
Spread between layers and on top and sides of cooled cake.