{Red Velvet Cake}

I have really wanted to try some fun and creative recipes for Valentines this year... There are so many good ones on Pinterest. BUT sadly I have not gotten around to it. I did make this cake and it was really good and easy to make. I topped it with some Valentines sprinkles to be more festive. Anything to make the kids happy right?

For the cake
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 (1-oz.) bottle red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup lowfat sour cream
1/4 cup canola oil
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup lowfat sour cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a liquid measure or other bowl, whisk the buttermilk, red coloring and vanilla together.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat sour cream, oil, butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. Add half of flour mixture and mix. Add the buttermilk/food coloring mixture and mix again, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the remaining flour until just combined. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda until mixture fizzes then quickly fold into batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and tap on the countertop to burst any air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Don’t over bake or the cake will be dry. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together cream cheese, sour cream, butter and vanilla until well combined and smooth. Slowly mix in powdered sugar. When the cake is completely cooled, spread the frosting over the cake, cut into pieces and serve. If not serving right away, store the cake in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Alternately, you can spread the frosting on each individual piece instead of the entire cake.

Adapted slightly from: Mels kitchen Cafe