Ok... can someone please tell me the difference between a chocolate cake and a red velvet cake? I've used a few different recipes, etc. but I just can't tell the difference (other than one is dyed red).

On that note, someone has asked me to make a green velvet cake. I do use various recipes, etc. but normally I fall back to the jazzed up box mixes... and ideas on how I would go about getting a green velvet cake? OR, if I do a chocolate mix, will it color green if it's already so brown?

Thanks for any help!!

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

Look at the cocoa content in a red velvet cake. You'll see that it has very little. Usually a couple of Tablespoons to 1/4 cup. So it is really a buttermilk cake and can take any coloring.

A chocolate cake typically has much more chocolate than a red velvet cake. A red velvet cake usually has 2 to 4 Tbsp of cocoa. RVC typically has buttermilk and vinegar, to give it that elusive slightly tangy flavor. It has very little chocolate flavor. Because there is not much cocoa in the RVC, it colors easily. A true dark chocolate cake probably would not show color well. For a green velvet cake, use green instead of red food color in your favorite RVC recipe. It would have to be a scratch recipe, because the boxed ones come with the red color incorporated.

I tend to use docotored mixes too -- I've done a purple velvet and did something similar to the WASC recipe:
2 boxes white cake mix
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 pkg choc pudding mix (dry mix)
1/4 c. cocoa powder
2 2/3 c. buttermilk (or use 2 1/2 tbsp vinegar and mix with milk to make 2 2/3 cup and let sit 5 mins before using)
2 c sour cream
1/2 c oil
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp butter extract (if you want)
1 Tbsp food coloring of choice (or enough to achieve desired color - will darken as it bakes)

Hope this helps!