Florence's Red Velvet Cake

If you've ever lived in the South for any length of time, you've eaten red velvet cake. I hear tell that it's even served in kids' school lunches! I got this classic recipe from my grandma, Florence Williamson, a West Virginia woman through and through. Simple, tasty and not in the least bit dry, it's a great choice for larger family gatherings and potlucks.

CAKE

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup plain yogurt or 1 cup milk with 1 T. lemon juice or vinegar
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable or peanut oil
• 2 T. cocoa powder
• 1/2-1 oz. red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat all ingredients together except for food coloring until all lumps are gone. Add food coloring slowly (you don't want red splatters on the wall!) and mix until completely incorporated. Grease a 13x9x2 baking pan and pour batter into pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out of the center cleanly. Cool completely.

ICING

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 box powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Spread onto cooled cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. It's best to store this cake in the fridge due to the cream cheese frosting but don't worry about having it out for a couple hours at an event - it'll be fine! I've also added frozen coconut flakes to the frosting for a little extra flavor. Another fun variation is to make the cake blue or green instead but that's a little too radical for some people!

What was left of my most recent red velvet cake once my coworkers had gotten to it. I think they liked it...