Red Velvet Wickedness!

"Well," said the Head, "I will give you my answer. You have no right to expect me to send you back to Kansas unless you do something for me in return. In this country everyone must pay for everything he gets. If you wish me to use my magic power to send you home again you must do something for me first. Help me and I will help you." "What must I do?" asked the girl. "Kill the wicked Witch of the West," answered Oz. - L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

This week's Bundt is truly wicked in nature and is hard for most people to refuse. It comes from the good witch, Paula Deen, and is wonderfully sweet and of course wickedly good! It's everything one would expect from a Red Velvet Cake.

Recipe: Red Velvet Pound Cake

Recipe From: Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics Page 385

CAKE

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

FROSTING

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





Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with Baker's Joy. 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 alternating with the milk, beating well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Don't fill your pan as full as I did or else you will be cleaning your oven! Fill it about 3/4 full.

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 cream. If necessary, add a little milk to achieve the desired consistency. I transfered the frosting into a large Zip-Lock bag, cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and frosted the cake. This is a really delicious frosting!