Red Velvet Cake

Description

Origin

In the nineteenth century, the soft crumb cake known as velvet cake rose to prominence as a popular dessert. It’s possible that Devil’s food cake was the inspiration for red velvet cake around the turn of the twentieth century. Chocolate and cocoa from red velvet cake come together to make devil’s food cake.

During the Great Depression, Adams Extract was one of the first firms to promote red food coloring and other flavor extracts using point-of-sale posters and tear-off recipe cards, paving the way for the widespread acceptance of red velvet cake across the United States. Bakers cooked beet juice during WWII to use as a culinary color. Beets are used as a filler or moisture retainer in several recipes. Waldorf-Astoria cake is a specialty of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. However, this is a Southern specialty. Decorating a red velvet cake with light and airy French-style butter ermine frosting, also known as roux icing, is a time-consuming ritual. Common frosting choices include buttercream and cream cheese.

Red velvet cake, a Southern soul meal, may contain black foodways. After the red food color was invented in the 1930s, red velvet cake was launched. Since then, African-Americans have cooked red velvet cake.

Red velvet cake was exclusively served in Atlanta on holidays like Christmas, Juneteenth, and others, according to cookbook author Nicole Taylor. Today, black groups celebrate with red cakes because red signifies pleasure. Rufus Estes, an ex-slave, and chef included an exquisite velvet cake recipe in his 1911 cookbook. Many experts believe this is where the cake originated. 

However, red coloring these pastries are new. As a result, there is a disagreement among food historians and chefs as to whether or not red velvet cake should be included in the canon of black culinary traditions.

Eaton’s restaurants and bakeries in Canada offered the cake throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Eaton’s employees who knew the formula swore to keep it a secret while it was being marketed as a secret recipe. Many said the dessert was created by Lady Eaton.

The holiday seasons of December and February have seen a rise in demand for red velvet cakes and cupcakes throughout the United States and Europe. Some say the film Steel Magnolias, which featured a red velvet groom’s cake in the form of an armadillo, is responsible for the dessert’s renaissance.

Ingredients 

Non-Dutched, anthocyanin-rich cocoa, Beet juice or red food coloring (for color), Buttermilk, Butter, Vinegar, Flour

Taste

Red velvet cake boasts a unique flavor that is hard to describe but undeniably delicious. It has a subtle chocolate flavor with a hint of tanginess from the buttermilk and vinegar. The texture of the cake is what really sets it apart – it’s incredibly moist, tender, and almost velvety, as the name suggests. One bite of red velvet cake will have you hooked. The flavor is rich and complex, but not overly sweet or heavy, making it the perfect dessert for any occasion.

Shelf Life/Preservation

The shelf life of red velvet cake depends on how it is stored. When stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it can last for up to a week. If frozen, it can last for up to three months. It is important to note that the cream cheese frosting that is often used to ice the cake can reduce its shelf life, so it is best to add the frosting just before serving.