Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley have traveled all over the country "Preserving America's Food Heritage," which is their mantra and motto. Now they have returned to their native South to collect their favorite southern recipes.

Cooking from this cookbook will assure that anyone anywhere can enjoy the South's all-time favorite recipes, with more than 200 Southern recipes hand-selected by editors Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley from a database of more than 25,000 award-winning recipes from their acclaimed Best of the Best State Cookbook Series.

Includes full-color photographs!

• by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley
• Comb-bound with soft cover
• Full-color photographs
• 224 pages
• 6 x 9 inches
• ISBN-10: 1-934193-77-1
• ISBN-13: 978-1-934193-77-8
• Language: English
• Publisher: Quail Ridge Press (©2012)

Red Velvet Cake

1/2 cup shortening           

1 1/2 cups sugar           

2 eggs           

1 (2-ounce) bottle red food coloring           

2 tablespoons cocoa           

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon vinegar

For batter, cream shortening and sugar.  Add eggs.  In 2-cup measuring cup, mix together red food coloring and cocoa to form a paste.  Add to batter, then add vanilla.  Sift flour and salt together; add alternately with buttermilk to batter.  Beat well; fold in baking soda, then vinegar.  Pour into 3 (10-inch) or 4 (8-inch) greased and floured cake pans.  Bake at 300 degrees for 20–30 minutes.

FROSTING:

2 tablespoons cornstarch           

1 cup water           

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cook cornstarch and water on low heat; set aside to cool completely.  Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until thick.  Add cornstarch mixture.  Beat until like whipped topping.  Spread between and on top of cooled layers.  Serves 8–12.