Red Devil’S Food Cake With Meringue

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 cup whole buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• butter flavored shortening
• 1 granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs*
• 2 (1 oz.) bottles red food coloring
• 3 tablespoons Italian cocoa or other high quality cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 2 1/3 s sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• non-stick spray with flour
• Buttermilk Glaze:
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• teaspoon baking soda
• whole buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Frosting:
• 3 egg whites*
• teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• water
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Cake: Preheat oven to 350°. In small bowl combine buttermilk and baking soda. Stir and set aside. In mixing bowl combine shortening and sugar. Beat on medium speed 1 minute. Add eggs and beat on high speed 5 minutes. Stir in red food coloring, cocoa, vanilla and vinegar. Alternately add cake flour to which the sea salt has been added and the buttermilk to cake batter, beating well after each addition. Spray two 9-inch heart shape cake pans (or round 9-inch pans) with non-stick spray with flour, or grease and flour to prepare pans. Divide batter between pans and bake in preheated 350° oven 30 minutes, or until cake tests done. Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely. Even tops with knife or device made to level cakes. Crumble and reserve pieces of cake removed. Set aside.
Glaze: In small saucepan combine butter, sugar, baking soda, buttermilk and corn syrup. Bring to boil and boil 5 minutes; stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Drizzle or brush glaze equally over cake layers. Let cool.
Frosting: In mixing bowl beat egg whites with salt until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In small heavy saucepan combine sugar and water. Heat, without stirring, until mixture begins to boil and reaches 232° on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and very slowly pour over egg whites while beating constantly. Add vanilla and continue beating 5 minutes. Frost cake. If desired, take crumbled cake crumbs and place on top of cake.