Hi CC

I am making a 3-tier weddding cake for an upcoming culinary arts competition and I am thinking of making a red velvet cake, covering it with white chocolate fondant and decorating with red gumpaste gerber daisies.

I did some research on the internet and found that most of the red velvet recipes are the same (see below); however, when i tried the recipe i found it to be very dry.

do i have to follow this basic recipe for the cake to be considered a bonafide red velvet cake or can i just make a yellow cake, add some cocoa and colour it red? and does anyone know what is the purpose of the vinegar in the recipe?

http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Red-Velvet-Cocoa-Cake

TIA

The vinegar with baking soda, may provide lift.

I don't think there is a hard rule about what is read velvet, but if the competition is a tasting, You should use a confirmed red velvet recipe. I use one from Elisa Strauss (Confetti Cakes) that I liked.

If it seems dry, you can always use a bit of simple syrup and it can still be true red velvet.

However, red velvet (and i have tried several) tends to be a fairly tender cake. You might have trouble if you fondant is heavy.

I can't give you much advice about the recipe, but my family loves red velvet cake and it definately has a unique flavor. If the judge will be tasting this cake I think you definately need a true Red Velvet cake recipe. Just because it's Red doesn't mean its Red Velvet! Just my opinion...

Ther's a recipe on this site that is really good, easy to make and moist. I don't think a yellow cake with coco would work for a competition.

Here's a link to the recipe I posted about http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-7027-20-Sarahs-Red-Velvet-Cake-TWEAKED.html

I think red velvet cake must have cocoa pdr and buttermilk, just my opinion. If it is too dry add a bit more veg. oil. Red Velvet is my favorite cake, I just love it, good luck!

I used the recipe in the link that tiggy posted for my first red velvet a couple of weeks ago and it was wonderful. Very moist, great flavor. It was a little crumbly when you cut it, but no biggie. I covered it in fondant and it held OK. It's in my phoyos (called Red Slice Cake or something like thatt

I agree buttermilk is an important ingredient! I also think it is the best with a very creamy light frosting, but I don't know how you can do that with fondant.

Ditto tonia3604!!! Cocoa powder, red food coloring and buttermilk make the best red velvet cake all others are wannabe's.JMO

If you want a delicious, true southern red velvet cake, try this recipe by Cake Man Raven. It is good!

http://www.cakemanraven.com/recipe.htm

Here are my variations...

regular AP flour instead of cake flour
1 tablespoon of cocoa instead of 1 tsp.
2 tsp. vanilla instead of 1
Bake at 325 for longer time

This comes out perfect every time and make the BEST cupcakes!!!

Good luck!

There is a forum about the taste of the red food coloring used in Red Velvet Cakes. Many recipes call for quite a bit of it. I'd do a test run first to see how you like the taste of all that red food coloring. Some people recommend no-taste red. And accoording to the forum, some people are sensitive to the taste of red food coloring.

Ok. from what I know as a Canadian, Red Velvet comes from the mixture of the cocoa and vinegar and buttermilk. Others will say Beet juice, but...
So that is the history. vinegar makes a chocolate cake moist. don't ask, just do. So TRADITIONALLY the red is supposed to be light. not the vibrant red that you ALWAYS see. It is supposed to be moist and rich and a very fine crumb, not crumbly.
Elisa Strauss recipe is to die for. I have made it for several southern families and they ALL have said that it was the BEST that they have EVER tasted. So go for it.
My armadillo is that same Red Velvet cake, and is totally covered in fondant. And not just a little fondant.
To recap. Red Velvet is a light chocolate taste that comes from the chemical reaction between the cocoa and the vinegar and buttermilk, that has a fine crumb and is VERY moist. It WILL hold up to fondant, and is meant to be served with cream cheese frosting (from the southern folks that I know.).
Good luck. HTH

That southern red velvet cake is AMAZING. It is sooooo good. I think the oil instead of butter or margarine makes the difference. The flavor is out of this world!

In the true south, red velvet is meant to be iced with the creamy cooked icing, not cream cheese.

My family prefers the Waldorf-Astoria red velvet recipe and since I can never seem to remember to buy buttermilk, I just use a tbsp of vinegar and add milk to equal a cup.

http://www.recipezaar.com/8972

Here is a tip regarding vinegar that I picked up recently:

make sure your vinegar is all natural... some use petroleums in their processing. Look for the 100% natural. Why can we not keep our foods
without these horrible additives? Remember to check the label.

i have made many red velvet cakes... they are all from scratch.. i have made cakemanraven's .. so delicious.... recipes from foodnetwork.... all good..... etc.... i am not a 100% scratch baker.... but when it comes to red velvet.... carrot cakes.... coconut cakes ... pineapple cakes... i make them from scratch.... all others are cake mix extenders. etc.... hth

cakemanraven's cake looks like a really moist & delicious cake. to those who have used this recipe, does it stand up to fondant and stacking? if not, how can i make the recipe denser?