American beauty Recipe

----------------------------------COLORING----------------------------------
      2 oz Food coloring, red
      3 tb Cocoa, instant; Nestle's

-----------------------------------BATTER-----------------------------------
    1/2 c  Shortening; Crisco
  1 1/2 c  Sugar, granulated
      2    Eggs
      1 c  buttermilk
  2 1/4 c  flour, cake; sifted 3 times
      1 ts Salt
      1 ts vanilla
      1 tb Vinegar, white
      1 ts Baking soda

-----------------------------------ICING-----------------------------------
    1/4 lb butter, unsalted
      7 tb Shortening; Crisco
      1 c  Sugar, granulated
    1/2 ts vanilla
      3 tb flour, cake
    2/3 c  buttermilk; room temperature
 
   Mix together the red food coloring and instant cocoa; set aside. Cream
  together the 1/2 cup of shortening, 1-1/2 cup sugar and eggs. Add colored
  paste and mix well. Add 1 cup buttermilk, 2-1/4 cup cake flour and salt.
  Mix well, add 1 teaspoon vanilla, vinegar and baking soda. Mix well again.
  
   Bake in 350F oven 30-35 minutes.
  
   For the icing, cream together butter, remaining shortening and vanilla.
  Mix very well with electric beater; add remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a
  time while mixing. Add remaining buttermilk and mix well.
  
   Notes: This recipe was handed down from my mother-in-law and I have never
  seen the equal of it! For Christmas, add green food coloring to the icing
  for a real Christmas effect. The hand written recipe did not indicate pan
  size, type or quantity ... but works well as a layer cake or in a
  springform cake pan. If you make this cake, let me know how you like it.
  
   Rick Weissgerber - an original upload to GEnie F&WRT.
 
-----