Red Cake with Ermine Frosting

I come from a southern family and Red Cake has often been our holiday cake of choice. There are two camps on the frosting - cream cheese and ermine. I like both, but Red Cake is very dense so adding a heavy cream cheese frosting can be a little over-the-top. Our family's traditional frosting is ermine, which is very light and delicate in flavor. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Red Cake (Waldorf Astoria)

Ingredients:

1 C shortening
2 eggs
1 ½ C sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
1 t. vinegar
2 oz. red food coloring (two 1 oz. bottles)
2 t. cocoa
1 C buttermilk
1 t. baking soda
2 ½ C flour

Mix vinegar & baking soda, set aside. Mix cocoa & food coloring, set aside. Cream shortening and sugar, then add eggs, beat. Add buttermilk, beat. Add flour and salt, mix well. Then add food coloring mixture, beat. Then add vinegar mixture, beat well. Bake in 2 or 3 - 9” cake pans for 30 min at 350 degrees. When cake is completely cool, frost with:

Ermine Frosting:

Ingredients:

1 C milk
3 T. flour – cook until thickened in a double boiler. Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.

Cream well 1 C sugar and 2 sticks of margarine and 1 T vanilla. (It should be VERY fluffy and the sugar should be totally dissolved, about 6 minutes.) Add the cold paste, a few tablespoons at a time to the butter mixture and whip until light and fluffy.

Frost cake and chill.

Recipe Given By: Mom Underhill

For a great Ermine Frosting tutorial, click here.

I tried to cheat on the frosting and mix it while it was still warm. You can see it doesn't mix properly. I can't tell you how many times this has happened to the women in my family and I vow not to rush ever again. :) The taste is NOT effected, but it's not as pretty. When I make it again (fluffy frosting, fingers crossed), I will repost with the picture. Until then, maybe you might want to give it a try...4th of July?

UPDATE: I remade the cake for Mark's birthday this month and made a double batch of the frosting (the slow and patient way) and it turned out fluffy and beautiful. I vow not to rush again. :)

Waffles & Cinnamon Gravy

Mark's family has another traditional meal they serve at holidays or any other time a big group of the family is together. It's waffles and cinnamon gravy and it's beyond delicious. I know I say that about practically everything I put on the blog and this one seems a bit unusual, but it truly is unique and yummy!

Light 'N Crisp Waffles

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
2 C milk
2 C all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/3 C oil
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Preheat waffle maker. Put all ingredients except egg whites in a large mixer bowl. Beat on low until moistened. Increase to medium, mix until smooth. By hand, gently fold in beaten egg whites. Pour 1/2 C batter in center of grid. Close waffle maker, bake until golden, 3-31/2 minutes. Repeat. Serve hot with your favorite topping.

Serving: 10 6 1/2 inch waffles

Recipe Given by: Oster Wafflemaker Instruction booklet

Hint: It takes my Oster 3 1/2 minutes to cook one waffle, but my large wafflemaker takes about 5 mintues to make 4 smaller squares so the timing works according to your appliance. OIL your wafflemaker prior to putting the first of the batter on to cook.

Cinnamon Gravy

Ingredients:
1 C milk
2 T. flour
1/3 C sugar
½ t. cinnamon

Stir flour and cold milk to a thin-med cream sauce. Start heating up and add sugar and cinnamon while cold. Can double easily.

Recipe Given By: Helen Martens (Mark's grandmother)

Veranikas

My husband is of German descent and his family has several traditional recipes that were passed down through the generations. Veranikas is one of them. Whenever we can get our hands on authentic German sausage to make this meal, our family is thrilled. It's not exactly healthy, but we call it soul food around here. Everyone gets involved when making this meal; that's part of the fun of it, as you can see below. We made the meal on vacation in FL with all 20+ Martens'-truly memorable & yummy!

Veranikas

Ingredients:
3 egg whites and yolks, separated
½ C milk
1/8 C sour cream
2 C flour plus
1 t. salt
¾ - 1 pint dry cottage cheese or hoop cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
German sausage or ham slices
Evaporated milk

In a large bowl whip 3 egg whites, add ½ C milk & whip again. Add about 1/8 C sour cream. Add 2 C flour and 1 t. salt. Mix and use enough flour to knead.

Filling: Mix ¾ to 1 pint dry cottage cheese (hoop cheese), 3 egg yolks, salt and pepper to taste. Roll out half of dough on floured board. Put 1 heaping teaspoon of cheese mixture on rolled out dough, fold over and cut with cookie cutter or water glass. Pinch edges together. Have pan of boiling salted water ready and drop in one at a time. Cook until they rise to the top, then carefully lift out of the water. Fry in oil – lightly brown on each side.

Sauce: If no German sausage is available, fry slices of ham and remove. Put enough flour in pan to soak up grease, then add evaporated milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then serve over fried veranikas.

Serving:
Recipe Given By: the Grandma's Martens

Hint: In northern VA hoop cheese is called Farmer's cheese. It is much tastier than cottage cheese by far. We cut rounds out with a large cup and then fill them with the cheese mixture-like filling ravioli.

Two cuties working on Veranika's to take on vacation.

Dad Martens' dinner plate on vacation.