What exactly is red velvet cake, anyway?
Is it really any different than chocolate?
How did it go from weird gimmick to national favorite?
It turns out that there's a lot you probably don't know about this not-so-Southern favorite.
It's hotly debated just who should get credit for inventing the red velvet cake, and part
of the credit is claimed by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
According to their own archivist, Erin Allsop, they invented the cake in the 1930s.
But other cake historians don't think that's right at all.
As proof, they point to red cakes that were popping up across the country in the same
decade, usually around Christmas-time.
According to The New York Times, we do know that one of the people who definitely deserve
some credit is John A. Adams of the Adams Extract Company.
In 1938, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was passed, and that made the regulations
on food dyes and extract that much more strict.
But Adams, inspired by a cake he and his wife had enjoyed at the Waldorf-Astoria, figured
he could increase his sales by coming up with a special, bright red cake that called for
dye right in the recipe.
So, that's what they did.
The company issued a red cake recipe as part of their merchandising, and home cooks across
their native Texas absolutely loved it.
Their red velvet cake started popping up all over, and there was just no looking back.
"What kind of cake do you want?”
“Red velvet!”
There's a rumor going around that red velvet cake is simply chocolate cake with some extra
color added, but that's not true at all.
So, what is the difference… aside from the color?
Pretty much everything.
Let's take a look at some basic ingredients.
Sure, red velvet cake has chocolate flavors, but recipes call for some kind of natural
cocoa powder to supply the hint of chocolate, while a chocolate cake is, well, much, much
more chocolatey.
There's also a big difference in the liquids.
While chocolate and devil's food cakes call for water and oftentimes coffee for their
moistness, most true red velvet relies on something weird: buttermilk and vinegar.
That's what gives it that distinctive tanginess that would tell you that you're eating red
velvet, even if you took a bite with your eyes closed.
Then, there's the frosting.
While chocolate cakes are a little more versatile, there's really only one kind of frosting that
you'll find being slathered on your tangy, slightly chocolatey red velvet cake, and that's
cream cheese frosting.
“Ooh, red velvet!”
When you think of some of the classic cakes popular across the southern section of the
U.S., you probably add red velvet to the list.
But you might not want to say that in the company of someone who hails from the south,
as Southern cookbook author Virginia Willis had this to say to The New York Times:
"I find it insulting on some level culturally.
It's kind of a weird Southern cake anyway, and it's bizarre the way it's been appropriated."
Today, red velvet — along with other types of red food — is an important part of the
Juneteenth celebrations.
The holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the US, and when Adrian Miller was researching
his book, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time,
he decided not to include it when the people he interviewed didn't talk about ever having
it.
In fact, he found it was a "latecomer" to the celebration, and was originally made as
a Christmas cake, not as a celebration of freedom.
Getting that deep red color in your homemade red velvet cakes can be difficult, and while
there are a lot of cake fails out there, cutting into a less-than-red red velvet cake is definitely
high on the list.
Fortunately, The Hummingbird Bakery has shared their secret, and it's super easy.
Use gel food coloring, not liquid.
You won't need nearly as much, and you won't be adding all that extra liquid to your cake.
Surprisingly simple, right?
Stella Parks, author of BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts has another idea: use red
wine.
The wine has some of the same components that came into play in old-school red velvet recipes,
and when you pair it with natural, raw cocoa powder, the ingredients act together to give
you a naturally deep burgundy color without the common food dyes.
Here's some good news: cake doesn't have to be terrible for you.
And that comes from nutritionist and dietician Maggie Michalczyk, RDN.
She suggests using something completely different to get the distinctive red color of red velvet,
and that's beet powder.
Brilliant, right?
She calls beet powder a great alternative to red food dye for a few reasons.
Not only is it all natural, but beets contain high levels of nitrates, which help regulate
blood pressure and have been shown to contribute to increased stamina, which is brilliant if
you're going to be exercising to work off that cake.
Have some picky eaters in the house?
Always looking for new ways to get them to eat their veggies?
That'll just make this one extra rewarding when you sneak it into their birthday cake.
It'll be your little secret.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.