Part of my job as Editor is to respond to the comments and questions that you all have. Most of the time I just respond directly, but sometimes if I think it’s something that might be interesting to more of you I’ll try to answer it publicly.
Last week I received this comment on our recipe for White Velvet Cake.
I have to say, I was stumped. I actually hadn’t thought of this before. Obviously the color sets these cakes apart, but what is in the “velvet” that makes them all part of one big happy family?
Purple Velvet Cake from Trivandrum Cake House
Yellow Velvet Cake from Rock Recipes
Blue Velvet Cake from i heart chocolate milk
White Velvet Cake from Mr. Food
Pink and Red Velvet Cake from Sugarhero
Green Velvet Cake from Recipe Girl
Black Velvet Cake from Shey B
I asked some of my coworkers here in the Mr. Food Test Kitchen and got a variety of answers. Some were like me and had never thought about it before, while others said it had to something to do with the texture.
Turns out, they were right.
Hmm…I guess I can see the resemblance?
So, if “velvet” refers to the texture, I figured there must be a common ingredient in all velvet cakes that sets them apart from other deliciously moist and smooth cakes.
Nope.
According to various Internet sources, including these by Mental_Floss and io9, velvet cakes of the past were made with baking soda and either vinegar or buttermilk. When the baking soda combined with either of these two ingredients, it would bubble up and cause the cake to have a fluffy and smooth texture.
Just think of those science class volcanoes and imagine that happening inside your cake while it bakes!
But as we know, time changes everything and recipes are always evolving. Some traditional cakes still use the classic bubblin’ ingredients, while others use butter or sour cream to achieve that delicious velvety texture we all love.
Velvety Red Velvet Cake – [Buttermilk]
White Velvet Cake – [Sour Cream]
Red Velvet Cake – [Butter]
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty open to trying all the versions of this classic favorite. Bring on the cake!
[If you want to learn more about the history of red velvet cake, and the evolution of its red coloring, I suggest visiting Mental_Floss or io9]
Have food or cooking questions? Let me know below!
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WHY IS IT SUGGESTED TO ALTERNATE THE FLOUR AND LIQUID WHEN MAKING A CAKE?
ALLWAYS STARTING WITH FLOUR AND ENDING WITH FLOUR/ i DON’T SEE THAT IT WOULD MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
Hi William!
There’s usually more flour than liquid, which is why you start and end with flour. And the reason you do this is to not “shock” the air bubbles out of your batter by just dumping in a lot of flour or liquid at once. Adding those ingredients a little at a time preserves the air bubbles, which in turn makes your cake light.
What I miss most when I make this is “Phenol Red”. The new food colouring just does not give the same RED red .
The velvet name to me describes the creamy look and consistency of the pre baked mix
My favourite look is the rainbow velvet where i sub divide a layer into three lots and colour and bake them individually.
Kids tells me it tastes a ‘zillion’ times better than a single colour cake!
I bet it does! Do you mix up the colors, or is there a usual 3 that you stick to?
I usually stick with 4 but I have on occasion made a Rainbow (7 colours) but that is a lot of work
If you try you will see how difficult it is to get attractive mixed colours
I also try to keep dyes to minimum as they can have negative effect on ADD or hyper kids
Hope this helps?
i read both sites for the history of red velvet cake. ive never heard either of those versions b4! ive always been under the impression that the red in red velvet was due to the addition of red beets in a recipe that was floating around in the 60s & 70s, maybe even the 50s!? does anyone know about this recipe & where to find it? curious to see ingredients list in that 1!
Hi Merrianne! I did a little searching, and it looks like there are some “natural” red velvet cake recipes out there that do use beets. Here’s one: http://www.littlehouseliving.com/recipe-for-red-velvet-cake.html
I’m pretty curious as to how that might taste!
Can This cake be baked in a 9 x 13 pan?
Hello Mary! Which cake recipe are you referring to?
Besides food coloring do you put vinegar in this recipe also or just sour cream to make the cake moist
Hi Renita! You can find the full recipe for our red velvet cake here! Enjoy! 🙂 https://www.mrfood.com/Cakes/Red-Velvet-Cake-from-Mr-Food
Why would you need to use food coloring if vinegar does the job of turning the cake red along with the other ingredients?
Hi there! Vinegar doesn’t have anything to do with the cake color. The vinegar activates the baking soda in a recipe to help give it a lighter or fluffier texture. 🙂
According to an article on oola.com that cites information written in an article by the New York times, what makes a red velvet cake “velvet” was the use of vinegar and baking soda in the mix which would react producing lots of bubbles and thus a light fluffy cake. Buttermilk was often used instead of vinegar as it lended flavor to the cake, and made the cake moister and the texture more creamy. Okay, you’ve made it this far. Are you ready for the real mindblower? Red food dye isn’t why they were called red velvet cakes. I’m serious. Historically, ingredients such as coffee, buttermilk, vinegar and cocoa powder were used which produced a chemical reaction with the cocoa powder, turning the batter a natural, deep, rich,sumptious mahogany red color. Mmm.