Is Red Velvet Cake Really Made From Beets?

The answer is that it all depends upon who is making it. Where did this cake come from? There is one story, which I leave you to decide whether authentic or not, that it was made at the request of a guest at the Waldorf Astoria for a guest. They made the cake and charged her $100 for the privilege of receiving the recipe. In revenge she passed it out to anyone who would take it.

The Waldorf version is said to use beets for color. Nowadays it is made all over the place, but especially in the South Some of the attraction is at least the slightly unusual ingredients. One theory is that the red food coloring was added when Dutch cocoa began to be used as this has an alkali added so is less likely to produce the traditional mahogany red.

A quick search reveals there are a number of variations on the theme Usually these include a cream cheese or cooked frosted icing, but for a less rich version a simple drizzle of glace icing works as does just a sprinkle of icing sugar. Try doing this through a doily which, if you remove it extremely carefully, will leave a beautiful pattern.

Ingredients for Red Velvet Cake

1/2 cup of low fat spread

1 1/2 cups of granulated or Castor sugar

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder ( drinking chocolate is a little too sweet).

2 teaspoons of red food coloring

1 teaspoon of salt

2 1/2 cups of cake flour or self raising flour

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup of buttermilk or plain yogurt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon of vinegar

Method.

Cream the sugar and low fat spread. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks. Incorporate them into the creamed mixture. Sieve the cocoa and mix with the food coloring before adding to this mixture together with the vanilla. Add the salt to the flour and mix this in alternately with the buttermilk or yogurt. Beat the egg whites to a fluff and fold this in to make a light mixture. Mix baking soda with vinegar and mix this in stirring well. Bake in 2 9 inch pans for 30 minutes at 350F, 190C, Gas 5. If you use smaller pans you will need 3 and a slightly shorter cooking time. Allow to cool and then fill and glaze as you like. Strawberry or apricot preserves are good.

A fluffy topping can be made by combining ingredients in a double boiler and beating as it cooks. You will need :-

The whites of 2 eggs,1 1/2 cups of icing sugar, pinch of salt, 1/3 cup water, 2 teaspoons light corn syrup. Cook this mixture for about 7 minutes, stirring all the time and then mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Let it cool before using. The result has been described by one writer as 'the Dolly Parton' of cakes. Well it is certainly a star - it even featured in the film 'Steel Magnolias' although there it was armadillo shape and had
grey icing. It probably tasted just as indulgent nevertheless.

Variations

Other recipes use the eggs whole rather than separated. Almost all versions include cocoa which contains anthocyanin, a natural coloring which appears redder in the presence of acid, hence the vinegar. One recipe unbelievably uses half a bottle of coloring - which I think is a bit over the top - but then it is that sort of cake.

Motivation Video Valentine's Day

All suggestion should be taken lightly. Do what you think is best and consult a doctor if you feel you need to. This is a comedy. Have fun with diets. Laugh at your blunders and do it and lose it and share your changes with anyone who cares. Lots of Love and Have a Happy Valentine's Day. More to Come. Note: I was doing fine with my diet until the monthly visitor arrived the Big"P" I inflated like a blowfish and I just gobbled up the ice cream cake and drank parrot bay coconut rum and coca cola. I was about to give up when I said I'm going to make water work for me not against me hence I started the lemonade diet and included "diruretic" dinners at night. Yes. The bloating is horrible but it is natures way of taking care of things and it's only a few days. This I believe is the number one reason woman give up on diets. The Lemonade Diet but to me I call it the Lemon "Aid" diet (because it aids in something) consisists of 1. 2Tbsp of lemon or lime juice 2. 2 Tbsp genuine maple syrup 3. 1/10 Tsp cayenne pepper (red pepper) or to taste. In my case I put massive amounts. :) It got me drinking extra water lol 4. Water. medium hot (spring or purified)Note: You can drink it cold. I did. Instructions are on page 17 of the Master Cleanser pamphlet by Stanley Burroughs. It is important to use fresh lemons or limes The darker grades of maple syrup are preferred. I used grade A but the next time I'll look for grade B as I will be reducing food intake and working to going 100% Lemonade ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_P9s4IcTe4&hl=en

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I heard the cake was good cuz you know I didn't eat any. Coconut flakes are usually added to the pan after adding the brownsugar. However you make yours is yours. Do YOU!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2fy_GlpBas&hl=en

Birthday Cake History

The birthday cake has been an integral part of the birthday tradition in Western cultures. The cake is served to a person on his or her birthday, and is often decorated with small novelty candles, with the person's name and/or a message of congratulations inscribed with icing. The phrase "Happy Birthday" did not appear on birthday cakes until the song Happy Birthday to You was popularized in the early 1900s.

Tradition holds that the person with the birthday may make a wish, which will come true if all the candles can be blown out in one breath. US patent 6319530 relates to a "method of photocopying an image onto an edible web for decorating iced baked goods." This invention enables one to ink jet print a food-grade color photograph on the cake surface.

History of Birthday Cake can be traced back to the ancient Greeks who made round or moon shaped honey cakes or bread and took it to the temple of Artemis -the Goddess of Moon. Some scholars, however, believe that the tradition of Birthday cake started in Germany in middle Ages. This special birthday cake later reemerged in Germany as a Kinderfest or the birthday celebrations of a young child. Germans also baked another special kind of a cake called Geburtstagorten as it was baked in layers. This was sweeter that the coarse and bread like cake that were usually made at that time.

In earlier times, Birthday cakes were mostly round in shape. Scholars associate religious beliefs and technical compulsions for the same. Greeks offered round shape cake to the Goddess of Moon - Artemis as it signified moon. They even placed candles on the cake to make the cake glow like the moon.

Technical reason given for the roundness of the cake is that most cakes we know off advanced from the bread. In ancient times breads and cakes were made by hand. Typically, these were fashioned into round balls and baked on hearthstones or in low, shallow pans. Hence, these naturally relaxed into round shapes. With the progress of times baking pans of various shapes were developed and today we see cakes in imaginative shapes and sizes.

In medieval times people of England used to place symbolic objects like coins, rings and thimbles in the batter of the cake. It was believed that those who found coin in the cake would be wealthy while the unlucky finder of the thimble would never marry. If the cake fell while baking it was considered to be a bad omen and signified bad luck for the person in the coming year.
Thus in the midst of many superstitions and beliefs, merged the tradition of Birthday cakes which is so popular all over the world today.

Quick Christmas Cookie Recipes - Easy Fruitcake Bar Cookies

Instead of a big, heavy fruitcake, serve these delicious cookies.

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups candied pineapple, coarsely chopped

1 3/4 cups red and green cherries, halved

2 cups pitted dates, halved

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Prepare a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle pan with flour.

In a bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour and walnuts; mix well.

Spread mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle walnuts, pineapple, cherries and dates on top; press lightly into dough.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Makes 96 bar cookies.

=> Quick Christmas Cookie Recipes: Quick Holiday Cookies

Whip up these fun cookies anytime you need to make cookies in a hurry.

1 (9 oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix

2/3 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 egg

1/2 cup red and green holiday M&Ms, or butterscotch chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the cake mix, oats, butter and egg; beat well. Stir in the M&Ms or chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan immediately and let cool completely.

Makes 24 cookies.

=> Quick Christmas Cookie Recipes: Easy Peppermint Cookies

These tasty cookies are sprinkled with peppermint candy.

2/3 cup butter flavored shortening

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup peppermint candies, crushed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

In a bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar; beat in the egg.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Fold in peppermint candy.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookie edges begin to brown. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

Makes 36 cookies.

Sweet Potato Recipes - Easy Potato Recipes

Sweet potatoes contain virtually no fat or sodium. Sweet potatoes are harvested in August through October and are available in supermarkets all year round. Many stores feature them at Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are two varieties of sweet potatoes; the pale yellow with a dry flesh and the dark orange with a moist flesh. The dark orange variety is plumper in shape and somewhat sweeter than the yellow variety.

I love to make this sweet potato recipe during the Christmas holiday period. This sweet potato recipe is easy, quick and uses only a few ingredients.

Sweet Potato Pecan Mix

Makes 8 Servings

1 12-inch skillet

8 medium sweet potatoes or yams (about 3 pounds)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine

1/4 cup water

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 chopped pecans

1. Heat the oven to 350*F. Scrub the sweet potatoes thoroughly with a vegetable brush, but do not peel. Pierce sweet potatoes on all sides with a fork to allow steam to escape while sweet potatoes bake. Place sweet potatoes directly on oven rack.

2. Bake sweet potatoes about 1 hour or until tender when pierced with a fork. Be sure to use a pot holder because the sweet potatoes will be very hot to the touch.

3. When sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, gently peel off the skins using a paring knife. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch slices.

4. Heat the brown sugar, margarine, water and salt in the skillet over medium heat about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Add the sweet potatoes and pecans. Gently stir until potatoes are coated with sauce.

Substitute orange juice for the water in order to make orange sweet potato pecan mix. Add 1 tablespoon grated orange peel to the brown sugar in step 4. Remove the pecans.

Remember to use sweet potatoes in soups, casseroles, puddings, baked goods, or as a substitute for white potatoes in your favorite recipes. Visit our web site for more wonderful sweet potato recipes,cooking tips,and other food creation information.

Raw Cheesecake #12

Raw Cheesecake Makes: 24 slivers Equipment: Food Processor Crust: 2 cups raw macadamia nuts 1/2 cup dates, pitted 1/4 cup dried coconut For the cheese: 3 cups chopped cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour 3/4 cup lemon juice (or lime juice) 3/4 cup honey I use raw 3/4 cup coconut oil 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon himalayan salt For sauce: 2 cups frozen berries 1/2 cup dates DIRECTIONS To make the crust, process the macadamia nuts and dates in the food processor. Sprinkle dried coconut onto the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch springform pan. Press crust onto the coconut. This will prevent it from sticking. See other video. To make the cheese, blend the cashews, lemon, honey, gently warmed coconut oil (do not use microwave), vanilla, himalayan salt (if using), and 1/2 cup water. Blend until smooth and adjust to taste. Pour the mixture onto the crust. Remove air bubbles by tapping the pan on a table. Place in the freezer until firm. Remove the whole cake from the pan while frozen and place on a serving platter. Defrost in the refrigerator.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFrii2TbNgw&hl=en