To our delight, last night, Smitty and I were lucky enough to spend an evening with Judy and her youngest daughter Mariah! Unfortunately, we didn't get to see Tom, Judy's husband. His itinerary didn't bring him to Durham in time to join us. He was sorely missed!
Of course, I wanted to bake something to sweeten up the occasion, and Mariah's favorite dessert is red velvet cake...so may I present
"The Red Velvet Mariah."
It would be unthinkable to serve a red velvet cake without cream cheese icing, at least here in the American south!. That recipe is Rose's Cream Cheese Buttercream from The Cake Bible. I made a double batch of that icing. I wish I had made another half batch because I prefer to work with more icing than this amount allowed.
It was very warm in the kitchen, and keeping the soft icing cool wasn't easy! Yes, those layers are sliding and listing! The cake went in and out of the fridge several times during the process.
I am so grateful for the friendships that have enriched my life! Smitty and I will treasure the memory of this evening, and pray it won't be so many years until we meet again! And next time, we dearly hope, Tom will be with us!