How To make American Beauty

COLORING:

2 oz Food coloring, red
3 tb Cocoa, instant; Nestle's

BATTER:

1/2 c Shortening; Crisco
1 1/2 c Sugar, granulated
2 Eggs
1 c Buttermilk
2 1/4 c Flour, cake; sifted 3 times
1 ts Salt
1 ts Vanilla
1 tb Vinegar, white
1 ts Baking soda

ICING:

1/4 lb Butter, unsalted
7 tb Shortening; Crisco
1 c Sugar, granulated
1/2 ts Vanilla
3 tb Flour, cake
2/3 c Buttermilk; room temperature
Mix together the red food coloring and instant cocoa; set aside. Cream together the 1/2 cup of shortening, 1-1/2 cup sugar and eggs. Add colored paste and mix well. Add 1 cup buttermilk, 2-1/4 cup cake flour and salt. Mix well, add 1 teaspoon vanilla, vinegar and baking soda. Mix well again. Bake in 350F oven 30-35 minutes. For the icing, cream together butter, remaining shortening and vanilla. Mix very well with electric beater; add remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time while mixing. Add remaining buttermilk and mix well. Notes: This recipe was handed down from my mother-in-law and I have never seen the equal of it! For Christmas, add green food coloring to the icing for a real Christmas effect. The hand written recipe did not indicate pan size, type or quantity ... but works well as a layer cake or in a springform cake pan. If you make this cake, let me know how you like it. Rick Weissgerber - an original upload to GEnie F&WRT. -----