Red Velvet Cake - The Shortcut Recipe - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (18 1/2 ounce) package German chocolate cake mix (any brand)
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 ounce red food coloring (yes the entire bottle)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9x2 pan* with shortening. I use baker's joy spray or pam for baking spray - you know the kind that has the oil and flour in the can?. Just don't use regular pam.
Beat all ingredients in a large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan(s).
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.
Cooked Frosting.
1 cup milk.
1/3 cup Flour.
1 cup butter or margarine, softened to room temperature.
1 cup powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla.
Stir milk and flour in sauce pan until blended. Heat over medium heat til thickened. Cover and refrigerate about 15 minutes or until cool. Beat butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in medium bowl on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture til blended. Frost cake.
PS - some people like cream cheese frosting with the Red Velvet, but the cooked frosting is traditional. Just use what you like.
* I've used two 9 inch round cake pans with this recipe no problem.
Oh. And one trick I've learned with box cake mixes is, to slightly decrease the water , and increase the oil, which makes for a moister cake - in this case I'd probably decrease the water by one tablespoon or so, and increase the oil.
Also, I've omitted the food coloring - and just used this as an easy way to make german chocolate cake - just change the frosting to the traditional coconut pecan frosting used for german choc cakes.... No one has ever noticed it wasn't homemade.
One last note: I've used this recipe with Duncan Hines, and Betty Crocker cake mixes.