Red Raspberry Velvet Cake

Last Sunday, my SS class was asked to make desserts for the college ministry. They have started to have SS after lunch that they offer to the students for free! So, I decided to take a Cooking Light recipe, Red Raspberry Velvet Cake! It is a really good dessert; I think it is MADE by the raspberry between the layers. It is a tad dense and light on chocolate flavor (so I added more) but it is still good for a lightened cake.

I also took boiled cookies! The last two times I've made these, they haven't turned out the same way I remember by Aunt's turning out during my childhood. We think that maybe something is different about the margarine now. Who knows!

Red Raspberry Velvet Cake
Cooking Light, Dec. 2004

Cooking spray
3 cups sifted cake flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 large egg whites
2 cups fat-free buttermilk
1 (1-ounce) bottle red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
7 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Remaining ingredient:1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray, and line bottoms of pans with wax paper (I didn't do this)

Lightly spoon 3 cups cake flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, and next 3 ingredients (through salt). Set aside.

Beat granulated sugar and butter with a mixer at medium speed 4 minutes or until well blended. Add egg whites to sugar mixture; beat at medium speed 5 minutes or until fluffy.

Combine buttermilk, food coloring, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until moistened.

Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool cake layers completely on wire racks.

To prepare frosting, combine cheese and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat).

To assemble cake, place 1 cake layer on a plate. Spread with jam; top with second cake layer. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator. Yield: 18 servings (serving size: 1 cake slice)

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 308(23% from fat); FAT 7.9g (sat 4.9g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 3.9g; CHOLESTEROL 22mg; CALCIUM 29mg; SODIUM 269mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 1.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 56.7g

Boiled Cookies
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter*
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups uncooked oatmeal
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Cook for additional minute. Remove from heat and stir in oatmeal. Mix well.

Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper. Allow to cool. These can be stored in the refrigerator.

*(I think that these have too much butter in them! They left tiny grease spots/pools on the wax paper after cooling. You might want to try decreasing the amount of butter.)