# Darn Lumps in Frosting



## baking rookie (May 28, 2007)

My first post on the forum.....now that that's done, down to business.

The frosting recipe that I use for my red velvet cake has me heat 1 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of flour, and a dash of salt over a low flame until it becomes like pudding, and then allow it to cool before adding to my shortening/margarine/sugar mixture. Every time I add the pudding to the mixture it doesn't fully blend, and I'll have little lumps of the cooled pudding mixture in my frosting. Whip attachment on the mixer doesn't finish the job either. When i cook it, there are no lumps, and when it's cooled pudding there are no lumps, but when it gets to mixing, I end up with lumps. I've tried cooling the pudding to slightly more than room temp and tried putting it in the refrigerator for 20 mins. Same result...LUMPS. Any veteran help would be very much appreciated because even though folks can't taste the pudding bits, I know they're there and it's killing me. Thanks. 
-Baking Rookie


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

you could start by passing it thru cheese cloth....

but first, please post the entire recipe so we can figure this out.

traditionally red velvet has cream cheese icing? yes, no.
I have in the past used a three part swiss butter cream to one part cream cheese with great success.:bounce:


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## bettyr (Feb 18, 2007)

I've made this frosting many times and it's a good one; you’re using too much flour. Cut the flour back to 3 tablespoons and you shouldn't have any more problems. 

Being from the South we were raised on Red Velvet Cake and this is the traditional frosting that goes with the cake. 

I personally think that the cream cheese frosting came about because people got lazy and didn't want to go to the trouble of making the traditional frosting. I guess it’s all in what you get used to but cream cheese frosting on this cake makes my stomach do flip flops.

Editing to add my recipe:
Frosting:
3 Tbs. flour
1 c. milk (cool)
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting Instructions:
Cook until thick- flour and milk, cool completely. Beat until very light and creamy - shortening, butter, sugar, vanilla. Add milk and flour mixture a little at a time and beat well.


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## baking rookie (May 28, 2007)

Thanks....will definitely give that a try.

and sour cream frosting on red velvet is blashemous.


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## bettyr (Feb 18, 2007)

Yes it is!! I can remember the first time I had a piece of red velvet cake at a restaurant. I was so shocked to see it on the menu; I thought red velvet was just something that mom's made for their kids. 

It looked so pretty on the plate and I took the first bite and had to struggle to swallow it; I was so disappointed. That was the first time I had ever come across cream cheese frosting on a red velvet cake. 

I'll never trust another piece of bakery red velvet again.


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

forgive me, i am from the northeast and have simply followed my clients desire.

i will, should i go back into my own business, follow the true icing on red velvet cake, and since i'm moving to the great southwest, i'd better get a move on!!!

do you have a great formula for the cake batter? if so, please share!!!:bounce:


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## bettyr (Feb 18, 2007)

This is the recipe that I grew up with.

Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients:
3 Tbs. cocoa
2 oz. bottle of red food coloring
1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. vinegar
1 tsp. baking soda

Cake Instructions:
1. Make paste of cocoa and coloring.
2. Cream shortening, sugar and eggs. Add cocoa & coloring. Mix well. 
3. Add buttermilk and flour with salt alternately.
4. Mix the soda into the vinegar and fold into the batter
5. Grease and flour cake pans. Makes 3 layers.
6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I too have gotten lazy in my old age and have, to my great shame, used this recipe on many occasions. It really makes a great Red Velvet Cake; but I would never use any other frosting than the one posted above. 

EASY RED VELVET CAKE
posted 06-19-2003 on CopyKats by acountrycook

1-BOX BUTTER (DH) recipe cake mix
1 teaspoons soda
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick of butter- softened 
Mix dry ingredients together, lightly cut in butter. 

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vinegar
Put vinegar into measuring cup then add enough milk to make one cup, let sit for 2 to 3 minutes.

1-2oz bottle red food coloring
3 eggs 
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add wet ingredients to dry and beat 4 minutes. Bake at 325° for 25 to 30 minutes .... makes 3 (9-inch)layer


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

Okay, besides the color and the name, what is the bottle of red food color do? keep the cake from being grey? does it add a bitter edge flavor? 
add moisture? 

any help appreciated.


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## bettyr (Feb 18, 2007)

As far as I’m aware the red food color is just for the color. 

I’ve never noticed any off taste from it at all. I would think that you could use any type of color that you wanted if you didn’t want to use the liquid color but if you used say the powered color I would add 2 ounces of some other liquid to make up for the 2 ounces of liquid that you lost from not using the liquid food color.

I am far from an expert baker so I really don’t know the science behind why we do what we do but I come from a very long line of good old down home Cajun cooks and red velvet cake has been a staple in our homes for as long as I can remember. 

My mom says that her mom used to make it for her and my mom was born in 1928, so it’s been around for a while. My mom says that back when she was little, the cocoa powder that they used to get had a very bitter taste to it and they would mix it with cooked mashed beets and that would neutralize the bitter taste of the cocoa but it also made the cake red. As time went by and our baking ingredients improved I’m guessing that the cake evolved into what we have today. 
Betty


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## thefoodsnob (May 23, 2007)

The traditional frosting is called Mary Kay Frosting.

Surprisingly most of my customers just want cream cheese.

Rachel


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## bettyr (Feb 18, 2007)

That’s interesting I’ve never heard it called that. 

My family is from Louisiana and if you ask 10 housewives for their recipe for Red Velvet Cake, you will get 10 different recipes and just as many variations on the frosting. You will get different amounts of flour to milk and different variations of the amount and type of sugar to the amount and type of fat used; but I would be willing to bet you my eye teeth that you would not get a single recipe that calls for cream cheese. 

It must be a regional thing sort of like BBQ. While on vacation in North Carolina my husband and I ordered a BBQ sandwich at a small café near the Outer Banks and we would never have recognized what we got as the BBQ that we were used to eating in Texas.


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