Red Velvet Cake Actually Got Its Color By Complete Accident (2024)

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Red Velvet Cake Actually Got Its Color By Complete Accident? ›

But the original red velvet cake relied on a chemical reaction between natural cocoa powder and the acids in vinegar and buttermilk to create a reddish color, one that was much less dramatic than the brilliant red in today's versions. You can still find original recipes without food coloring if you look around a bit.

When bakers added vinegar, baking soda, or buttermilk to their recipes to tenderize the cakes, the acid in those ingredients reacted with the cocoa, which was not Dutch-processed, to give the cakes a red tint. That color became a signature of velvet cakes.

While Chocolate Cake is made primarily with cocoa powder and sometimes melted chocolate, Red Velvet Cake is made with a small amount of cocoa powder, but is also known for its signature bright red color, which is usually achieved by adding red food coloring to the batter.

Some people argue that the red color comes from a chemical reaction. A chemical reaction between the cocoa and acid give the cake it's red color. Natural cocoa has a lot of acidities and works well with the baking soda and buttermilk. Along with a delicious chocolate flavor, the cocoa makes the cake nice and soft.

The “red” in red velvet cake is multifaceted — historically, the red tint in the cake came from either the chemical reaction between unprocessed cocoa and vinegar (according to Southern Living) or the use of beet sugar.

This is due to the buttermilk and vinegar (which are common ingredients in a red velvet cake). Traditionally, red velvet cakes didn't have any red food coloring, and were a more brownish, reddy colour.

Flavor profile

While there are cocoa undertones, red velvet is not chocolate cake because it balances both chocolate and vanilla flavors. It contains cocoa but not the same quantity as traditional chocolate cake, resulting in a more subtle cocoa flavor and tanginess due to the buttermilk and vinegar.

The food coloring is what makes red velvet cake red. If you don't use it, the cake will have a dark reddish-brown color (but will still taste equally delicious, so feel free to omit if you don't want to use it). Make it red without red dye: Experiment by using beet powder to achieve a red hue.

Fun facts about Red Velvet Cake

During World War 2, bakers used boiled beet juices to enhance the colour of the cake. This was due to poverty all around the world, so it was requested not to use food colouring as it was classed as an unnecessary expense.

I had to visit the bathroom a second time and a lightbulb turned on when I remembered I ate the read velvet cake, filled with red food dye. I googled it, red velvet cake causes red stools and yep, there it was in black and white (not red - LOL). BP dropped immediately and I felt so relieved.

What flavor is pink velvet? ›

Pink Velvet cake doesn't include cocoa powder, unlike its cousin, red velvet cake. The flavor profile of pink velvet cake is more of a subtle vanilla taste rather than the hint of chocolate found in red velvet cake. It's perfect for birthdays or mother's day or just when you want something sweet.

Red Velvet Cake has several names, including Waldorf-Astoria Cake. Many attribute the now-shuttered New York City hotel with creating the cake. This crimson color cake is sometimes called $300 Cake. This is because a patron of the Waldorf-Astoria once asked the chef for a recipe.

The cocoa powder is used in less quantity and the taste develops by the mixing of vinegar and buttermilk with the cocoa powder. The recipe involves many ingredients in small quantity. The frosting- if used cream cheese is an expensive element in itself.

The trick to using our Red Velvet Color when baking cakes and cupcakes is to lower the pH. Some ways to do this is by substituting baking powder in place of baking soda, using a natural non-alkalized cocoa powder, adding more white vinegar or buttermilk to your red velvet recipe, to achieve a bright red color.

We recommend gel food colouring, such as Sugarflair and Wilton, having tested both of these brands out in our kitchens with great results.

Despite the fact that both these cakes have this powder added to them, they do have one key difference in terms of their ingredients — the food coloring. Red velvet cake uses bright red food coloring to achieve its signature color, while blue velvet cake ditches the red for blue food coloring instead.