Becky Low’s Kitchen Memories / Chocolate Potato Cake 1 “Chocolate Potato Cake” (also called Red Velvet Cake) This is an old family favorite, which dates back to Grandma’s youth. We always called it “Chocolate Potato Cake.” As a college student I found it to be very similar to a roommate’s touted ‘Red Velvet Cake.’ Regardless of what you call it, it’s a red tinted chocolate scratch cake with a moist texture and a luscious flavor. Red Velvet cake dates back to Victorian era, before cake mixes. The buttermilk, or sour milk, reacted with the cocoa and soda creating a red color. Food color, first from beets then commercially produced, added a deeper brighter red color typical of what we see today. The leavening effect of soda and acid is still a great way to make cakes from scratch today. Serves 16 Ingredients: 2 cups sugar 1 cup butter, softened 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon food color, red (or more) 1 cup unseasoned mashed potatoes* 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (**see below) Method: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter sides and bottom of a 9x13 cake pan (or three 8- inch cake pans); dust sides and bottom with flour, tamp out excess flour; Set aside. Cream or beat together sugar and butter; add eggs, vanilla and food color, beat well. Beat in mashed potatoes. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa. Alternating, add one-fourth the milk, then one-fourth the flour mixture to the butter egg/mixture, beating well after each addition. Continue until all flour and milk are mixed in. Spread cake batter evenly in prepared pan(s). Bake for 45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly touched. To serve, drizzle with chocolate sauce, serve with cold milk or cream - or frost with favorite frosting. Notes: