Red Velvet Cake

The story of the red velvet cake goes back to my childhood.  Red Velvet Cake is the ultimate birthday cake! Mama would bake each of us a Red Velvet Cake on our birthdays.  We actually looked forward to the special cake as much or more than we did our birthday gifts. Three layers of yummy goodness equals a very happy birthday! As Mama's kids began their own families, the requests for a Red Velvet Cake increased with each additional grandchild.  Four cakes a year became thirteen cakes a year!  Layered cakes became sheet cakes.  Mama decided we would have to share cakes with those having birthdays in the same month. She even tried to trick us into a "quarterly" cake to encompass three birthday months at a time.

A couple of years ago, Kristin was honored with her very own Red Velvet Cake on her 21st birthday. Her Nana had it ready to be picked up when Kristin rolled into town.  It was carefully placed in a tupperware container.  (As a rule of thumb, the Heaps and descendents of the Heaps tend to be, um, clumsy.)  I met Kris at the door to help her carry her in her bags.  She insisted on carrying the cake to the table herself.  There is a grate located at the base of the house steps that we use to clean our muddy shoes.  And that is where the stumble happened.  Down went Kris holding on to the container for dear life trying to save the cake.  I could only watch helplessly from the porch as she crashed.  The look on Kris' face was of dismay and the bottom lip was beginning to tremble. We ended up with a pile of sweet goodness that wasn't much to look at once we got it to the table.  Don't underestimate the power the ultimate birthday cake has over any of Mama's kids or grandkids!  :)