Red velvet isn't a chocolate cake, it's a buttermilk cake. The people who posted about the cocoa causing the red color are right, but it shouldn't have a chocolate flavor to it at all. I have a suspicion that the red velvet that you get in a mix is actually a chocolate cake that has red food coloring added to it, which is why a lot of people seem to think it's a chocolate cake. I bake from scratch, so I don't know for sure, but that's what I suspect.

Good red velvet isn't greasy or oily, but all the recipes that I've found have a LOT of food coloring, which you can reduce by half and still get a red color. I did a couple of blog entries about red velvet cake because it's a weirdo, but if you make it right it does taste good. My son just asked what I was writing about, and I told him red velvet cake. He said "I'd like some red velvet cake" so not everyone hates it!

I made the Cakeman Raven and it tasted ok. I mean, it baked beautifully and everything and was very moist and didn't taste bad by any means. Kind of bland tasting to me, but again, I'm pg and have been adding hot sauce to everything. Once I let my family have at it, I'm sure I'll get a few "wows".

As far as scratch recipes go, I'm pleased with it, but normally I want to lick the batter from the bowl and spatula and lately have to try very hard to restrain myself (because of the raw egg), but I had no problem dumping that blood red batter straight into the sink. Blech!

Oh, and first trimester baking is excruciating because there is no energy to even turn on the oven and the thought of cake makes me nauseated. Then when you have to handle horrid ingredients like buttermilk and red food coloring... omg. I had to step outside and take deep breaths to get the nausea to subside.

I had the Cakeman Raven's Red Velvet cake from his bakery and it was one of the best cakes I've ever eaten - funny, b/c I actually don't love Red Velvet - for some reason I get a bad stomachache EVERY time I eat it - like stomach pains - it happened with his to, but it may have been worth it!

I have a family recipe for red velvet that contains the 1 oz bottle of liquid food coloring. It is not a chocolate cake even though it does have cocoa in it. My family loves it! I am doing one next weekend for my nephews birthday. If I do not make one at Christmas I might get locked out of my Mom's house!

Poor kger, I feel your pain...I can barely keep water down, and so far I'm actually losing weight this pregnancy....
So, anyway, just made a batch of the secret family recipe red velvet, and wanted to describe what great rv tastes like. It's slightly tangy, with a undertone of butterry richness and a hint of vanilla, and the flavor pops in your mouth. No chocolate. My recipe only calls for one tiny tablespoon of cocoa powder.

That is one cake I make from "scratch" - but I never can eat it. All that red food coloring gives me a migrane. (literally) I also decrease the amount of coloring added, and it doesn't hurt the coloring at all.

I make RV cake and cupcakes and I use 1 teaspoon or less of Americolor Red. My recipe also only has 1 teaspoon of cocoa, which isn't even enough to taste IMO.
Please don't bite my head off but I have to say that anyone who has tasted my RV cake (scratch) thinks it is awesome and I also can't keep from eating the cake scraps. They have to go straight into the trash or I will just sit there in a trance, eating and eating until I reach into an empty bag.
My recipe was a bit oily so i cut the oil back and it did not alter the taste and it is still moist. I don't know why in the world it called for that much oil...
Anyways, I don't care who thought it up or any of that stuff, it's just a unique cake with it's own taste and color. I don't think it is supposed to taste like any other cake and it doesn't.
Ladies, congrats on your pregnancies, I hope the morning sickness goes away soon

Sugarandstuff, I'm sorry but that made me really laugh. I am sorry you ate it though

lol this is the one cupcake that myself and non of my staff will touch - even the staff member who is literally obsessed and has tried all out all 30 plus flavours!

I tried a tiny piece of the sponge to make sure it was ok when we tried the recipe for the first time and it was nice enough but it does gross me out - saying that my customers LOVE it, they complain when it isnt on and some come especially for it. We use the Rose Red Velvet receipe someone had posted a link to on here ages ago and it does work great but at the point the food colouring is added to the cocoa mixture it always looks like intestines and that is so offputting!

I personally just found out that I love RV. Probably because I don't really like chocolate cake and RV has just a hint of it. I use the Paula Deen recipe with one extra egg and 2 - 2 1/2 Tsp Wilton Red Gel food coloring. It's much cheaper than adding 2 bottles of the liquid food coloring. I wouldn't recommend using her frosting though. It was a liquid nightmare! It completely slid off the cake!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/grandmother-pauls-red-velvet-cake-recipe/index.html

Despite all the ugliness going on at Cakeman Raven's shop, I really love his RV recipe and so does everyone else that tries it. It comes out a beautiful red color and you don't taste the food coloring. I used to think RV was chocolate cake, too, until I really started checking out recipes. A couple of people have described the flavor as being buttermilk and I think that is a good description.

While on this gross subject....After thinking about the amount of red food coloring, I online researched Red Velvet with beets as color. Has anyone tried a recipe like that? I think I'll try the one with the pickled beet juice in place of the vinegar but can't wrap my brain around 1 1/2 to 2 cups of pureed beets in a cake.

Well, I guess SOME people don't get my sick sense of humor!
But that's okay, I'll be a good girl from now on!

Does anyone know how boiled frosting holds up on a decorated cake? I'm going to make a vanilla bc, a cream cheese bc, and a white chocolate bc, and maybe also a white chocolate cream cheese bc. I know boiled frosting is a classic with r/v, but would you ever mess with that for a wedding cake?

Have tried the boiled icing and the taste did not appeal, nor is it amenable to decorating with.