Red velvet is my all-time favorite cupcake flavor and I’ve always
wanted to make the bigger, badder cake version, especially since I turned a
bigger, badder 24 on Monday.
So, my mom and I whipped up our own version based on this recipe with cream cheese frosting (mmmm....). It called for TWO 1-ounce bottles of red food coloring! We
only used one and the batter turned out very red (as in, will-stain-your-tongue-and-fingers-and-counter-top red), even after completely
baking. We agreed that next time
we attempt this cake, we’re going to go the anti-dye route and use beets, which can naturally give the cake a red color. This no-red-dye recipe by Sophistimom
looks delectable.
As family and friends devoured the dessert around the table that evening, we
got to discussing why in the world a red cake became popular. It turns out, the
history of red velvet involved food coloring way back in the late 1800s. John A. Adams, whose family founded The Adams Extract
Company marketed his dye products on posters with illustrations of a thick crimson,
velvet (which meant fine-crumbed back then) layer cake. With every purchase, those Southern and
Midwestern mamas received two free bottles of Adams red dye. Clever, clever, Mr. Adams.
No matter how you slice it, cake is cake...and I'll eat it!
Continue reading for the complete recipe...
