1 c. butter or Crisco shortening
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp. cocoa
1 tbsp. vinegar
2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lg. or 2 sm. bottles of red cake coloring
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
Nutty Coconut Frosting (recipe follows)

Cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs; beat until fluffy. Make paste of cocoa and vinegar, and add to butter and sugar mixture. Sift flour, soda and salt together. Add alternately flour and buttermilk. Add vanilla and cake coloring. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (Makes 3 layers.)

NUTTY COCONUT FROSTING:

1 c. sweet milk
2 tbsp. flour
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 sm. can coconut
1 c. pecans, chopped

Cook milk and flour until very thick. Stir while cooking. Cool. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla. Mix with milk and flour mixture. Beat well. Add nuts and coconut, and frost cooled cake.