Christmas is the perfect time for red velvet.  It’s the festive color of the season, and it is just so fun.  I’ve made Red Velvet Polka Dot Cookies and Red Velvet Surprise Cupcakes, and experiment with even more ideas.  But this may be the most practical.  Pound Cake is such a holiday staple – it’s easy to make, keeps well and freezes beautifully.  Serve hefty slices with whipped cream or ice cream and some festive sprinkles for a dessert, or smaller slices on a buffet. Wrap a loaf in plastic wrap with pretty ribbon and it makes a beautifully fun, festive gift. I haven’t tried it yet, but I think it would be lovely baked in those little decorated paper mini loaf pans as a gift.

I’ve added a simple glaze (skip it for freezing or wrapping) because it adds a lovely snowy top, but the cake is rich and lovely without it.  I’ve even sprinkled the glaze with sparkling sanding sugar to give it a real winter wonderland effect.

Red Velvet Pound Cake

½ cup (1 stick) butter,  at room temperature

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ Tablespoons red food coloring

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

a pinch of salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons cider vinegar

½ cup buttermilk

For the Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly grease and flour a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan or use baking spray like Bakers’ Joy.

Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and food coloring on slow speed.

Sift the flour, salt and cocoa together in a bowl. Dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar and add to the buttermilk in the measuring jug. Beat the dry ingredients into the butter and egg alternately with the buttermilk in three additions, mixing well after each and scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently.

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.  Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release air bubbles. Bake for about 50 minutes or until cake is done and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan about 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Glaze:

Whisk together the powdered sugar and buttermilk until you have a runny galze (use a bit more buttermilk if needed.  Pour the galze evenly over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.