The Pioneer Woman Cooks (77 page)

9. Pour the batter evenly into the cake pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans. Cool completely before icing.

10. Now, make the icing.

Place the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl and whip until smooth. Sift the powdered sugar and add it to the bowl. Add the salt and mix.

11. Add the vanilla and mix until smooth.

12. Place one layer face down on a cake plate or pedestal. Note the cocoa swirling throughout the cake!

13. Plop a large spoonful of icing in the center of the layer.

14. Using an offset spatula, spread one-third of the icing evenly on top of one layer, making sure to get the icing all the way to the edges.

15. Place the other cake layer on top, face down.

16. Ice the top…

17. And ice the sides with the remaining icing, being careful not to loosen crumbs as you go.

18. Refrigerate the cake for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. (Because of the butter, the icing will become soft at room temperature.)

To serve, cut a large X in the refrigerated cake.

19. Then cut smaller slices within each quadrant of the cake.

I love red velvet cake. It’s almost too pretty to be eaten.

I said almost…

HELPFUL HINT: Store leftovers in the fridge.

ANGEL SUGAR COOKIES

Makes 18 cookies

Don’t tell anyone, but Marlboro Man loves sugar cookies made from store-bought refrigerator dough. He can’t help it—it’s a comfort food a cowboy’s wife used to make for him when he was a little boy and he can’t shake the sweet, chewy memories.

Me? I love the dough. And I never object when Marlboro Man has a craving for those sugar cookies because I always shave off a good hunk or two of the raw dough and have myself a snack.

For homemade sugar cookies, I don’t attempt to compete with those incredibly consistent pre-fab wonders. So I go a different direction, making this sugar cookie that’s light, crisp, and melt-in-your-mouth.

2 large eggs1 cup canola oil½ pound (2 sticks) butter, softened1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for the tops of the cookies1 cup powdered sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon cream of tartar