Recipe: Hershey's Red Velvet Cocoa "Depression Cake" Recipe

Hi, Maxine,

What a sweetie, and what a loving thing to do for your mom!

This is from "Best Recipes From the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars," by Ceil Dyer. The notes say, "In The Thirties, money was scarce and luxuries were few. No wonder this economy-mind cake recipe from Hershey's Cocoa was a favorite then. It still is! Moist and rich tasting, it calls for only 1/4 cup of shortening and two eggs, but it tastes as extravagant as any cake you've ever made."

1/2 cup solid shortening 2-1/2 cups sifted flour (cake
1-1/2 cups sugar flour preferred)
2 eggs 1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. baking soda
3 Tbs. Hershey's cocoa 1 Tbs. vinegar
2 tsp. red food coloring

Cream shotening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. In a separate dish, blend cocoa and food coloring; add to sugar mixture. Add flour, buttermilk, and salt alternatively. Mix soda and vinegar in cup and add.

Bake in two nine-inch, greased and floured cake pans, at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Turn halfway through baking time. Let cool before frosting.

Additional notes: Author says a paste food coloring does better than the liquid type. Also, batter may be baked in three, eight-inch pans instead.

Hug your mom for me. Give me a while on the lemon pie. I'm working on finding that too. Unless somebody else has it right at their fingertips, and i'm betting somebody on this wonderful board does!

Bon Appetite,

Tanis