Valentine's Day Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Pecan Frosting

Valentine's Day is about a month down the road, so it's not too early to begin thinking about the dinner and dessert you'll be serving up to the important l♥ves in your life. This cake is SPECTACULAR! One caveat, don't wear white when making it or eating it - unless you like to live dangerously!

This cake is very tender and can be difficult to frost. What I have found to be a life-saver is to freeze the baked layers and then frost - works like a charm - no cake crumbs to concern yourself with that may mix into the frosting and ruin the absolute perfection you have created. Voila!

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 to 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
5/8 ounce bottle red food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cream the eggs, sugar, oil and vinegar. Sift the cake flour, baking soda, and cocoa together. Add the flour mixture to the creamed ingredients while beating. Slowly add the buttermilk. While still beating, add the vanilla and the food coloring. Pour into three 8-inch layer pans and bake for about 25 minutes. Press lightly;if the layers are spongy, then the cake is done. Frost the cooled layers, assemble and frost the top and sides. Serves 12 to 14.

Red Velvet Cake Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
1 (1 pound) box confectioners sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the cream cheese and butter and melt over very low heat. Add the sugar, pecans and vanilla and mix well. If the frosting becomes too thick, add a little milk. Frost one 8-inch or 9-inch layer cake.