Every year, I make a cake for our church’s annual spring picnic-outdoor service.  After the service, there is a family picnic, during which we do a “Cake Walk” —  walking around in circles (a normal state of affairs in the Unitarian Universalist sect) stepping on numbers, all done to the pounding of beat of a drum circle. (I played my Djembe–I was one of nine drums).  Desserts are donated, and when the drums stop, a number is picked and whoever is on that number square wins a dessert of his/her choice from the dessert table.  Seven-year-old Morgan won a plate of to-die-for key-lime squares (Florida, after all–just like the lemon squares you all know and love, but better).  At the cake walk, I tasted an incredible Red Velvet Cake, a Lancaster County specialty,  a hit, and I just had to have the recipe.  Here it is:

Traditional Lancaster County Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter
2 ½ cups of sugar
6 eggs
3 cups of flour
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
¼ tsp vanilla
2 oz. red food colouring
8 oz. sour cream

1. Heat oven to 350. Beat butter and gradually add sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Beat just until blended.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda. Add to butter mixture alternating with sour cream and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla and food colouring. Spoon into three greased and floured 8 –inch round pans.
3. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
4. Frost with vanilla buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting.

I did cream cheese frosting. OY, what else?…