Please Help What Is Red Velvelt Cake And What Is The Recipie

Baking By jlmaison Updated 8 Nov 2006 , 2:55am by MillyCakes

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jlmaison Posted 15 Aug 2006 , 4:27am
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Can onyone tell me what red velvet cake is? Over the past couple of days I have heard several people refer to it and Hillary Duff used it in her birthday cake and Jessica Simpson used it in her wedding cake....what is the deal with red velvet cake? Is it that good? If so then I want to know how to make it. Thanks Jen

28 replies
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mrboop Posted 15 Aug 2006 , 4:46am
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You could do a search to find the recipe. There a lots of different recipes for it here on this site. I looked through all off my cookbooks and not one red velvelt cake recipe. But that's ok with me because IMO I think it is one of the nastiest tasting cake there is. All I can taste in it is the entire bottle of red food coloring that is added to the batter. The frosting is good though, it is a cream cheese frosting. Hope you find a recipe or can at least taste the cake before making it.

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Tinarie Posted 15 Aug 2006 , 4:52am
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Red Velvet cake is regular yellow cake but has a bottle of red food coloring to make it that deep red color. It's a southern cake recipe. It has a yummy cream cheese icing. Some people put pecans and coconut. I like it just with the cream cheese icing. The food network has several very good recipes for this cake. One of the best is Paula Deen's recipe. Try it!

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Tinarie Posted 15 Aug 2006 , 5:05am
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Also, Southern Living has Great Red Velvet Cake recipes. southernliving.com

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CarolAnn Posted 15 Aug 2006 , 5:17am
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Dumb as it may be I have to ask this, doesn't all that red coloring stain the teeth and mouth? It would with icing. So do people in the south just really go for the red colored cake because yellow cake loaded with red coloring doesn't sound especially tasty to me. Now I'm just curious.

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Tinarie Posted 16 Aug 2006 , 1:45am
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No, it does not stain your teeth! It's has a great texture and the cake has a small amount of cocoa in it so it's not just a yellow cake recipe but close. It has many stories behind it and is not just for southerners but is most popular in the south. Give it a shot! If you can taste the food coloring you have a horrible recipe. You can't taste the food coloring at all. It's a very moist yummy cake.

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dodibug Posted 16 Aug 2006 , 1:49am
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Red velvet should have a very light chocolate taste. Never thought of it as a yellow cake at all.

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mgdqueen Posted 16 Aug 2006 , 1:53am
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And mine does not have cream cheese frosting-has a cooked frosting like Gale Gand's recipe. MUCH better IMO. Red Velvet is my favorite cake-my mom has made it for me for every birthday since I was a few years old (and we are not from the south). She's colored it every color you can imagine, but red is the only one that doesn't give later consequences for some reason...

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Rebekka Posted 19 Aug 2006 , 6:47pm
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I, too, think all that food coloring is disgusting! But everybody seems to want a freaking Red Velvet cake. Of the three weddings I've done this summer, two of them are Red Velvet, requested by the bride! It's very pretty, and it tastes good, but when you think about all that red....ug.

It is traditionally a chocolate cake though, not very chocolatey, but faintly chocolatey.

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jmt1714 Posted 19 Aug 2006 , 9:45pm
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if you do a search on google for red velvet cake recipe you'll get a million of them.

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mamafrogcakes Posted 19 Aug 2006 , 10:43pm
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Red velvet is a chocolate cake, not vanilla b/c the cocoa in it covers any aftertaste of the red food coloring.

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AngelaDay Posted 19 Aug 2006 , 11:05pm
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Red Velvet Cake is not a yellow cake with red food coloring added. I think it's a delicious cake, I'm hoping that more people will try the traditional recipe. It a blend of cocoa powder and some recipes call for red food coloring. The icing varies depending on who's cooking the cake. There is a very detailed definition on Wikipedia. Try it.

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Sumer Posted 19 Aug 2006 , 11:20pm
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There is a good red velvet cake mix....Duncan Hines. I have found that it is much better than the scratch ones...

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soxxy Posted 19 Aug 2006 , 11:43pm
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A red velvet cake has a slight chocolate flavor. The taste of the food coloring is not noticable if the cake is made correctly. The color does not stain your mouth when you eat it, but if you are not careful it can create a huge mess when making the cake. The recipe I use I received from my mother. I do not know where she got the recipe. This is one of the only cakes that I make from scratch on a regular basis. The combination of the food color and the vinegar give this cake a really smooth texture, like velvet.
Cake
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup softened butter
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 ounces red food coloring
1 teaspoon distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk. Mix in food color and vinegar and vanilla. Bake in two 9 inch round pans in a 350 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes.
Frosting
8 oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter softened
1 lb confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Cream butter and cream cheese. Add confectioners suger. Beat in vanilla. Stir in pecans.

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ps3884 Posted 19 Aug 2006 , 11:47pm
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Soxxy - thanks for sharing your recipe. I look forward to trying it!

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bkdcakes Posted 20 Aug 2006 , 12:04am
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My recipe is a little different from Soxxy's, but you cannot taste the red food coloring, if it's done right. The frosting we use is not cream cheese, although that would probably compliment it well also. This is one of my favorites from childhood. TEXAS-STYLE!

Here's my mother's recipe for RVC & RVC Frosting:

1/2 cup shortening 3 level TBS cocoa
1-1/2 cups sugar 2-1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp salt
1 tsp butter flavoring 1 TBS vinegar
1-1/2 oz bottle Red food color 1 tsp baking soda

Creawm shortening, sugar, eggs, flavors together. Make a paste of cocoa & food coloring, add to first mixture. Alternately add flour & buttermilk. Mix soda & vinegar in small bowl, add to batter. Blend. Bake in 3 9" or 10" round pans for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool completely. Cover with frosting.

Frosting:

3 TBS flour 1 cup shortening
1/2 tsp salt 1 cup sugar
1 cup milk 2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp butter flavor

Cook milk, flour, salt till thick, stirring constantly. Let cool. Cream shortening and sugar well, add flavors. Combine with 1st mixture, beat well.

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newlywedws Posted 22 Aug 2006 , 3:50am
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Southern Girls KNOW red velvet cake, and cream cheese frosting doesn't belong on it. I cringe to think of a lovely red velvet cake covered with cream cheese frosting...poor cake! I've become snob when it comes to red velvet cake, and after trying numerous recipes (to see if they match up to my great-great-great grandma's) have decided they don't come close. My husband and in-laws agree it's the best they've ever had.
Red velvet cake is more than just a "red" cake. True red velvet cake is almost reminiscient of a devil's food cake, but is red.

Sarah's red velvet cake - a tradition of excellence.

Here it is. Enjoy

2 1/2 cups CAKE flour (recommend Softasilk Cake Flour brand -where available)
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter (no substitutes...do not use margarine)
2 eggs
2 bottles red food colouring -1 oz each
3 TBSP cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour 2 round 9" pans.
Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together (set aside).
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and food colouring (one at a time) to the butter mixture.
Next add a little flour mixture, and some buttermilk (alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk - begin AND end with the flour mixture).
****When mixing DO NOT beat on high...unless you want the batter to fly everywhere and stain your walls, ceilings, dogs/cats pink ****

Pour into the pans, make sure to level out batter with a spatula.
Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let cool before frosting.

Mary Kay Icing

1/4 c. flour
1 c. milk
3/4 c. Crisco (regular White shortening...not butter flavoured)
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla

In a sauce pan, combine flour and milk*
Cook over medium heat until mixture is thickened. Cool completely. <----VERY important, if it doesn't cool enough it will melt the shortening.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream the shortening, sugar, and butter. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, and then add the vanilla - beat for an additional minute. Add flour mixture. Beat on high speed w/ electric mixer, for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Spread on cooled cake.


* In order to prevent any "flour lumps", there are 2 different methods I suggest for adding the flour to the milk.
1st method is to take the 1/4 cup flour, and place it in a saucepan, and add 1/4 cup of milk, and whisk it to combine, continue whisking mixture and slowly add in the remaining 3/4 cups of milk. Whisk and cook over medium heat until mixture is thickened.
2nd method would be to take a canning jar w/ lid (or similiar) and combine the 1 cup milk and 1/4 cup flour and shake vigourously to combine, prior to cooking it

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krysoco Posted 23 Aug 2006 , 6:01pm
post #18 of 29
Quote:
Originally Posted by newlywedws

Southern Girls KNOW red velvet cake, and cream cheese frosting doesn't belong on it. I cringe to think of a lovely red velvet cake covered with cream cheese frosting...poor cake!

Red velvet cake is more than just a "red" cake. True red velvet cake is almost reminiscient of a devil's food cake, but is red.




Me too. I cringe!

That's what I've heard also. Either devil's food or german choc. Not sure.

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Zmama Posted 4 Oct 2006 , 2:11pm
post #19 of 29

The recipe newlywedws posted is very similar to the one used by Grandma, who made the best anything. I vote for that one!

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lilthorner Posted 4 Oct 2006 , 2:14pm
post #20 of 29

I have made newlywed's recipe 2 times.. The second time I backed down on the cocoa a tbs.. they were both DELICIOUS though

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madicakes Posted 4 Oct 2006 , 2:31pm
post #21 of 29

I have never had red velvet cake with cream cheese icing and I too cringe at the thought. My family has, for as long as I can remember, used a cooked icing similar to the recipe bkdcakes gave. YUMMY!

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lilthorner Posted 4 Oct 2006 , 3:48pm
post #22 of 29

I have been reading about red velvet cake alot and it seems like a regional thing.

My peopel who eat Rv cake (Im in California) SWEAR that it has cream cheese icing on it.. I made it with the cooked icing first but if they (as in a customer) want cream cheese then I gotta do it.. LOL

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louie750 Posted 4 Oct 2006 , 3:48pm
post #23 of 29

doesn't RVC traditionally have vinegar in it? to give it its unique texture? All recipes I've seen has between 1tsp to 1Tb of vinegar.

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lilthorner Posted 7 Oct 2006 , 3:28am
post #24 of 29

most of the recipes I have seen have vinegar in them. I'm not sure if it is the texture or the color that it affects. It may have to do with the leavening although like i said, I made newlywed's recipe (no vinegar) and didn't have a problem with cake rising

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texaskitty Posted 7 Oct 2006 , 3:43am
post #25 of 29

I don't think my mother or MIL use vinegar in their recipes. My mother uses the cooked icing and my MIL uses the cream cheese. I prefer the cooked icing. Seems more traditional to me, but it all just depends on your taste. I think my husband prefers the cream cheese.

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shortcake2 Posted 8 Nov 2006 , 12:11am
post #26 of 29

Red Velvet Cake has to the best cake ever. The one cake I love to make from scratch. I would never touch the boxed stuff. I too cringe at the thought of cream cheese frosting on such a wonderful cake. I only use a boiled icing. I have never tasted the red food coloring ( I do choose to use only one bottle though) and it has never turned my teeth red (unless you cheat and eat some of the batter) but I would never do that lol. I have told people not to get scared when they go to the bathroom the nest day though lol. This is the only cake my dd will allow me to bake for her birthdays anymore. My family always considers this a special treat.

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lilthorner Posted 8 Nov 2006 , 12:29am
post #27 of 29

shortcake,

what is your recipe?

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mkolmar Posted 8 Nov 2006 , 2:31am
post #28 of 29

never would have thought about cream cheese for an icing, I'm a northern gal with strong family southern genes though! (I'd probly try the cream cheese though just because it actually may be very good, even though I'm use to the traditional.) Got to love CC and people who just posted recipes on here, I saved them all!!!!

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MillyCakes Posted 8 Nov 2006 , 2:55am
post #29 of 29

As a southern girl, I was raised with a red velvet cake at EVERY family function. It is not a yellow cake with red food coloring. It is a very moist cake with a slight chcolate cake from a small amount of cocoa. The icing actually depends on the family as do many things here in the south.

However, if you want to try the cake, I would suggest the DH mix. DH does a pretty good job and in the end $.82 for a cake to taste is prettry cheap. The private tastings I have for my cake cost more than that per cupcake!

Y'all have a good night now!

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