Hey, Carla! Glad to be of help. My public project went into a hiatus last year, after the Parks Dept. didn't budget for putting a water source in. Figured it out and am going ahead this Spring with trying to finish the project. I was too depressed about the whole thing to read much here. As far as that cake recipe is concerned: double the frosting. Really.

I have always used the recipe for frosting the red velvet cake that janmo posted. I put a couple drops of red coloring in it to tint it pink. I love it, but it is more work than I am interested in sometimes for other cakes. Here is a much easier frosting recipe that is very, very similar in taste and texture. The finished color is yellow, so won't look as nice on the red cake, but works for other cakes. Creamy Frosting 1 cup butter, margerine, or butter flavored crisco 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup milk 1 3.5 oz. pkg instant vanilla pudding Beat butter and sugar till creamy In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix till it begins to thicken. Add to butter mixture and beat at high speed about 5 minutes. (I use the crisco if the cake has to sit out any lenght of time during warm weather. Also, don't try this with chocolate pudding...it finishes up looking curdled)

I've never made it because of the large amount of food coloring. I went looking for an alternative: Red Devil's Food Cake Made With Beets 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1 8 1/4 ounce can beets 2 1/4 cups allpurpose flour 1/3 cup cocoa powder 2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 3 large eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 2/3 cup buttermilk 2 tsp. cider vinegar Frosting: 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1 tsp. cream of tartar Pinch of salt 6 large egg whites 1/4 cup cold water 2 tbs. vanilla Preheat oven to 350 ° F. Butter and flour two 9 by 2 inch cake pans. Melt chocolate in double boiler and set aside to cool. Drain beets and puree in a blender or food processor; you should have 1 cup. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate. With mixer on low alternately beat in flour mixture (in fourths) and buttermilk mixed with vinegar (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour. Beat until incorporated. Add pureed beets and mix on medium until blended. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean and top of cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes and invert onto racks to cool completely. Make frosting: In a bowl set over a large saucepan of simmering water beat sugar, cream of tartar, salt, egg whites and water with mixer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until mixture holds stiff peaks. Remove bowl from pan and beat icing for 3 minutes more. Beat in vanilla. To assemble cake: On serving plate spread one cake layer with a third of frosting and top with second layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides. Yield: 9 inch Layer Cake, 8 to 10 servings _________________________________________________________ Unique Red Velvet Cake Beet juice is the secret ingredient that substitutes for red food color in this traditional Southern specialty cake. Some people prefer a boiled white frosting, but I cannot imagine this cake without cream cheese frosting. Make this cake when you want to dazzle people -- or when you want superb taste. This is the kind of cake to take to a party. CAKE 4-1/2 C cake flour, sifted 1-1/2 t salt 4 T Cocoa 4 oz. beet juice (drain from one 15 oz. can of beets - add water to make 4 oz., if needed) 1 C vegetable shortening 2-3/4 C sugar 4 large eggs 2 C buttermilk 1-1/2 T vanilla extract 2 T white vinegar 2 t baking soda Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Remember to use glass and metal utensils to avoid beet-juice stains. Add salt and cocoa to sifted flour and sift again. With mixer on medium, cream together vegetable shortening and sugar for at least five minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating at least one minute after each addition. Add beet juice and vanilla to buttermilk. Alternate adding these liquids and the flour-salt-cocoa mixture to the shortening/sugar. Use a spatula or put your mixer on low -- don't overbeat. Put white vinegar in a small bowl and add baking SODA (not powder). It will foam up briefly. Fold into the cake batter -- DO NOT BEAT. Batter should be somewhat thick, but add water, if needed, to make a pourable batter. Pour batter into prepared cake tins and bake for approximately 30 minutes in a 350 oven. Allow layers to cool for 10 minutes before removing from cake tins. Cool cake completely before frosting. Cut each layer in half to create a four-layer cake. CREAM CHEESE FROSTING 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened (Neufchatel tastes great, too, and has less fat -- as if that mattered given the rest of the recipe) 2 sticks butter or margarine 2 T vanilla 4 C powdered sugar water or milk to thin, if needed

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.