This is a recipe my grandmother got from the woman who invented it many years ago. She would only make it for me, and ONLY on my birthday.
CAKE
1/2 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 TBSP cocoa
2 oz red food coloring
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 TBSP white vinegar
FROSTING
5 TBSP flour
1 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk
1 cup icing sugar
CAKE
Pre-heat oven to 350o F.
Cream shortening. Add sugar gradually and cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition. Make paste out of the cocoa, food coloring and salt. Add to shortening mixture. Sift cake flour. Mix vanilla with buttermilk. Dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar. Fold into the buttermilk mixture. Add flour alternately with buttermilk mixture, starting and finishing with the flour. Mix until the batter is smooth. Pour into three well greased and floured 9 inch layer pans or one 13 X 9 X 2 pan. Bake at 350o F for 35 to 40 minutes.
FROSTING
Make a paste with the flour and part of the milk. Add the remainder of the milk gradually and mix until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick. Take from the stove and leave until very cool. Cream butter with icing sugar and add vanilla. Mix till smooth. Add to the cooled flour mixture 1 teaspoon at a time and continue to beat until fluffy.