RED VELVET POUND CAKE

Red Velvet Pound Cake image

Yield serves 16

Number Of Ingredients 14

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups granulated sugar
7 eggs
One 1-ounce bottle red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Two 3-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
One 1-pound package confectioners' sugar, sifted
1-2 tablespoons milk, if needed

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. For the cake, in a mixing bowl, combine the butter, shortening, and sugar, and cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the food coloring and vanilla. Stir together the flour and salt; add this to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beating well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely.
While the cake cools, make the frosting: Combine the cream cheese and butter and blend until smooth. Stir in the vanilla, mixing well. Gradually add the sugar, beating until creamy. If necessary, add a little milk to achieve a spreading consistency.
Frost the cake.