Hey Bob E. Lish...here is one that I got off the internet but used for a friend back in Minnesota whose favorite cake was Red Velvet Cake, and he always liked it. If you want, I'll come tutor you in the proper handling of red food coloring and sharing of excess frosting, and we can...go get the camera and take pictures of the cake for all the nice people out there to see. Yeah...that's it! ;-) This one has a frosting recipe already with it. And you thought I was just another pretty face. Ha! Red Velvet Cake 1/2 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups white sugar 2 eggs 2 tablespoons cocoa 4 tablespoons red food coloring 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup buttermilk 2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar Grease two 9 inch round pans (I'd probably use the spray now, probably used cocoa over the grease back then (as I did for dark cakes), haven't made this since I came to California). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening and 1 1/2 cups sugar well. Add eggs and beat well. Make a paste of cocoa and red food coloring. Add to creamed mixture. Mix salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla and buttermilk together. Add alternately the flour with the milk mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix soda and vinegar (it does this cool bubbly thing when you mix the soda and vinegar, so you're forewarned and won't freak and accidentally knock over the bottle of food coloring!). Fold into cake batter, don't beat or stir now. Bake for 30 minutes. Icing 5 tablespoons all purpose flour 1 cup milk 1 cup white sugar 1 cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Cook 5 tablespoons flour and milk over low heat til thick, stirring constantly. Let cool thoroughly! While cooling, cream 1 cup sugar, 1 cup butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat this well til light and flufy. Add to flour mixture and beat until spreading consistency. Ice cooled cake.

I baked one earlier this week that was dense and moist. Posted here. Here is another one that is very good that David posted a few years back. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table ==================================== Posted by: lakeguy35 (My Page) on Tue, Jul 13, 04 at 23:50 Here is the recipe y'all, everyone I have shared this with loves it. I know there are alot of recipes floating around out there, but this one is my and many others favorite. Janelle McComb,who was Elvis's friend from the time he was a boy in Tupelo Mississippi used to bake two loaves of this cake every Christmas and bring them to Graceland. On a good day, Elvis could eat one all by himself. He shared the other with his entourage. ELVIS PRESLEY'S FAVORITE POUND CAKE 3 cups sugar 1/2 pound of butter softened 7 eggs room temperature 3 cups cake flour, sifted twice 1 cup heavy cream (not whipped) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Thoroughly butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Cream together the sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time, beating extemely well after each addition. Mix 1/2 half of the flour, then the whipping cream, then the other half of the flour. Beat 5 full minutes. Add vanilla. Pour batter into prepared pan. Set in cold oven and turn temp to 350 degrees. Bake 1 hour to 90 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool thoroughly. Wrapped well in foil, this cake keeps several days.

Here's the recipe.....came from Gourmet Magazine lots of years ago. Biscotti Di Prato 3 3/4 C all purpose flour (stirred till fluffy before measuring) 2 C sugar 1 tsp double acting baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 4 eggs 2 egg yolks 1 tsp vanilla ( or 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract if using almonds) 1 2/3 c almonds or hazel nuts coarse chopped and lightly toasted. eggwash Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. whisk together eggs, yolks and extracts, add eggs, etc to flour mixture and stir until a dough forms (looks like it can never happen... but keep working it...it will. I sometimes add a VERY little sprinkling of water) add nuts, turn out on a non-stick surface ( I use a marble board or my formica rolling board) and knead 3 or 4 times. Divide into fourths and shape each piece into a 11 x 2 in. log ( make it "tall" as they flatten while baking) Place on buttered and floured baking sheets, brush with egg wash (egg yolk whisked with 1 T water). Bake at 350 for 35 min and cool 20 min. Slice 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Place on clean baking sheets ( cut side down) and bake 10 or 12 minutes at 275. turn pieces over and bake another 10 minutes. If you want to make them extra fancy, dip half a slice in melted chocolate and sprinkle with finely chopped nuts. You can make bigger 'scottis by making two thicker logs, but be sure to leave room for spread. Best dipped in tea or coffee....or best yet in a sweet dessert wine! Enjoy! Linda

After years of making all kinds, this is the one the fruit cake loving friends and family like best. Even hubby, who claims he never liked fruit cake, will eat this. No alcohol. Just have a jumbo-size bowl to mix it in. Hubby helped make it one year and wondered what all the fuss was about - fruit cake wasn't laborious like he'd heard. I said we didn't need to grate the sugar from a cone of sugar; we didn't need to crack/shell the nuts; we didn't stone the dates; we didn't pick the seeds out of the raisins; make the candied fruit well ahead of when we needed it....... ;-) Oh! -Grainlady Source: Pillsbury Kitchens' Family Cookbook DARK FRUITCAKE 3 c. Pillsbury Best All Purpose or Unbleached Flour (I use freshly-milled spelt and wheat combination) 1-3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar 2 t. baking powder 1 t. salt 2 t. cinnamon 1/2 t. nutmeg 1/2 t. allspice 1 c. liquid (fruit juice, water or milk) 3/4 c. shortening, melted OR oil 1/4 c. molasses 4 eggs 3 c. (1-lb.) raisins (I usually use 1 c. currants, 1 c. dark raisins, and 1 c. golden raisins) 2 c. (1-lb.) mixed candied fruit 2 cups (1/2-lb.) pecan halves (broken pecans work fine) 1 c. (1/2-lb.) whole candied cherries 1/2 c. chopped candied pineapple 8-oz. pkg. (1-1/4-c.) pitted dates, cut into large pieces Heat oven to 275°F. Grease (not oil) two 9x5-inch loaf pans and line with waxed paper or foil. In large bowl, blend all ingredients except fruits and nuts at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. Stir in fruits and nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake at 275°F. for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool. Peel off paper; wrap cooled cakes tightly in plastic wrap or foil to keep moist. If wrapped tightly, fruitcake will keep in refrigerator up to a year. Other Fruitcake Pan Sizes: For Dark Fruitcake recipe - fill containers 2/3 to 3/4 full. Coffee Cans (1-lb. size): 4 cans - bake 1-1/2 to 2 hours Soup Cans (10-1/2-oz. size): 12 cans - bake about 1-1/2 hours Miniature Loaf Pans: 6 pans - bake about 1-1/2 hours Muffin Pans: 48 cups (lined with paper baking cups) - bake