Cake:
2 ½ cups self-rising flour
1 cup buttermilk [or skim milk with the *vinegar added; let set while
adding other ingredients]
1 teaspoon white vinegar*
1 ½ cups Extra Light olive oil [no taste and the good-for-you
cholesterol]
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup (two 1-ounce bottles) red food coloring
1& ½ cups granulated sugar [once you've made this a couple
of times, you can experiment with the amount of sugar, decreasing a little
if you like]
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup egg substitute
Frosting:
1/3 pound (1 & 1/3 sticks) margarine or light butter, softened
10 ounces neufchatel (low fat) cream cheese, softened [I tried non-fat.
One word: Yuck!]
1 one-pound box confectioners' sugar [a bit more can be used if frosting
seems too thin]
2 cups chopped pecans
1) To make cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together all cake ingredients with an electric mixer. Spray three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick coating [I use Pam]. Pour batter equally into the three pans and bake for 20 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Carefully remove layers from pans to racks to cool completely. This can be tricky as the layers are thin.
2) To make frosting: Combine butter, cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Beat until fluffy; then fold in 1& ½ cup pecans. Use to fill and frost cake when it is cool. Decorate* top of cake with remaining ½ cup pecans; refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Makes approximately 10 to 15 servings.
[For a lower fat version: Scale down frosting ingredients and frost only between the layers and on the top.]
*This looks very pretty with a sprig of the silk holly leaves and berries stuck in the middle.
Enjoy! Invite lots of friends/family when you make this. It is very rich tasting; a little goes a long way.