{{Short description|Red layer cake with icing}} {{About|the dessert|the Android operating system version|Android 11}} {{Good article}} {{Use American English|date=February 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox food | name = Red velvet cake | image = Red Velvet Cake Waldorf Astoria.jpg | image_alt = A red-colored cake with icing and two chocolate sticks on a white plate. | caption = A four-layer slice of red velvet cake | type = Cake | course = Dessert | country = United States or Canada | main_ingredient = {{Flatlist| * Baking powder * butter * buttermilk or vinegar * cocoa powder * eggs * flour * salt * vanilla extract * cream cheese or ermine icing }} }} '''Red velvet cake''' is a red-colored layer cake with cream cheese or ermine icing. The origin of the cake is unknown, although it is popular in the Southern United States and has been served as a dessert at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria hotel since the 1920s. Both the hotel and Eaton's in Canada claim to have developed the recipe. Ingredients of the cake include baking powder, butter, buttermilk or vinegar, cocoa powder, eggs, flour, salt, vanilla extract, and, in most modern recipes, red food coloring. The cake's popularity declined after Red Dye #2 was linked to cancer in the 1970s but has since improved in the United States and elsewhere.

==History== [[File:Red_devil's_food.png|thumb|A recipe for red velvet cake in ''Ladies' Home Journal'', 1927. It is identified as "Red devil cake."]] It is unknown where the red velvet cake originated, although its popularity in the Southern United States dates to the early 20th century.<ref name=BettyCrocker18Layer>{{Cite web |date=January 6, 2025 |title=18 Layer Red Velvet Cake|url=http://bettycrocker.com/recipes/18-layer-red-velvet-cake/bdf43344-2c07-44ee-beaf-508bee980892|website=Betty Crocker|language=en-US|url-status=live|access-date=March 3, 2026|archive-date=January 9, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260109073953/bettycrocker.com/recipes/18-layer-red-velvet-cake/bdf43344-2c07-44ee-beaf-508bee980892}}</ref><ref name=NYTimes2.14.07>{{Cite news |last=Fabricant |first=Florence |author-link=Florence Fabricant |date=February 14, 2007 |title=So Naughty, So Nice |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/dining/14velv.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815113437/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/dining/14velv.html |archive-date=August 15, 2024 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name=LunchLadyEaton>{{Cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Carol |title=Lunch with Lady Eaton: Inside the Dining Rooms of a Nation |last2=Mallinson |first2=Katharine |date=2004 |publisher=ECW Press |isbn=978-1-55022-650-8 |location=Toronto |pages=198}}</ref> Recipes for "velvet" cakes, so called because of the fineness of their crumb texture, date to the 19th century but include a variety of types of cake, including shortcakes and pancakes, whose recipes included ingredients such as almond flour, cocoa powder or corn starch to soften the wheat flour proteins and make finer-textured cakes.<ref name=NYTimes5.12.14>{{Cite news |last=Severson |first=Kim |author-link=Kim Severson |date=May 12, 2014 |title=Red Velvet Cake: A Classic, Not a Gimmick |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/dining/red-velvet-cake-from-gimmick-to-american-classic.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326091119/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/dining/red-velvet-cake-from-gimmick-to-american-classic.html |archive-date=March 26, 2019|access-date=February 4, 2025|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name=WashPost6.11.21>{{Cite news |last=Galarza |first=G. Daniela |date=June 11, 2021|title=Red Velvet Cake is 'the Color of Joy.' Here's How It Rose into America's Dessert Canon. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/06/11/red-velvet-cake-history/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308194649/https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/06/11/red-velvet-cake-history/ |archive-date=March 8, 2023 |access-date=February 4, 2025 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> At the time, brown sugar, which was also called ''red sugar'', was more readily and cheaply available than white sugar, and may have turned the cakes "vaguely reddish," according to pastry chef and food writer Stella Parks.<ref name=WashPost6.11.21/>

Additionally, in the 19th century, the first recipes for chocolate cakes appeared, with some including buttermilk, which, when combined with raw cocoa powder, would turn the batter and resulting cake a naturally occurring burgundy hue. Cakes from this type of recipe include the devil's food cake, mahogany cake, and oxblood cake.<ref name=NYTimes5.12.14/><ref name=WashPost6.11.21/> According to Parks, the concept of a velvet cocoa powder cake originated in the early 20th century when the recipes for mahogany cake and devil's food cake were merged.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lam |first=Francis |author-link=Francis Lam |date=October 6, 2017 |title=The Evolution of Red Velvet Cake, An Iconic American Dessert |url=https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2017/10/06/the-evolution-of-red-velvet-cake-an-iconic-american-dessert |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222163828/https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2017/10/06/the-evolution-of-red-velvet-cake-an-iconic-american-dessert |archive-date=December 22, 2024 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=The Splendid Table}}</ref> During World War I and the Great Depression, cakes made with beetroot were red, while chocolate cakes made with beetroot were burgundy-colored.<ref name=WashPost6.11.21/>

In the 1920s, red velvet layer cake became a famous dessert at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria hotel. According to John Harrisson and John Doherty, the authors of the ''Waldorf-Astoria Cookbook'', the cake is considered a Southern recipe.<ref name=NYTimes2.14.07/> When food dye was in development in the 1930s, manufacturers marketed it by creating recipes that featured it to enhance naturally occurring colors from other ingredients.<ref name=WashPost6.11.21/> One such recipe was developed during World War II by the Adams Extract company; the owners created it based on the mahogany cake with ermine icing after eating the cake at Waldorf-Astoria.<ref name=NYTimes5.12.14/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Holland |first=Kimberly |date=August 8, 2023 |title=Was The Original Red Velvet Cake Created In New York City? |url=https://www.southernliving.com/food/desserts/cakes/southern-red-velvet-cake |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220080615/https://www.southernliving.com/food/desserts/cakes/southern-red-velvet-cake |archive-date=December 20, 2024 |access-date=February 4, 2025 |website=Southern Living}}</ref> Their recipe thereafter became known throughout the country.<ref name=WashPost6.11.21/> By the 1960s, recipes for red velvet cake appeared in newspapers and multiple cookbooks. Starting in the 1970s after Red Dye #2 was linked to cancer, the cake became less popular.<ref name=OxfordEncyclopedia>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Andrew F. |url=|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-19-973922-6 |edition=2nd |chapter=Red Dye Controversy}}</ref> In the late 20th century, the cake regained popularity as a result of the 1989 film ''Steel Magnolias'', which featured the cake in a scene.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Narula |first=Svati Kirsten |date=February 14, 2015 |title=The Rediscovery of Red Velvet Has Gone Way Too Far |url=https://qz.com/344195/the-rediscovery-of-red-velvet-has-gone-way-too-far |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250120182552/https://qz.com/344195/the-rediscovery-of-red-velvet-has-gone-way-too-far |archive-date=January 20, 2025 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=Quartz}}</ref> By 2000, red velvet cakes were experiencing widespread popularity. However, with most recipes including chocolate, food writer Stephen Schmidt described their appearance as "often more ruddy than truly red."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schmidt |first=Stephen |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America |date=2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-973496-2 |editor-last=Smith |editor-first=Andrew F. |edition=2nd |location=New York |pages=262 |chapter=Cake: Overview}}</ref>

In Canada, the cake was popular in the 1940s and 1950s.<ref name=BettyCrocker>{{Cite web |date=January 10, 2017 |title=Red Velvet Cake |url=https://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/red-velvet-cake |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250121182302/https://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/red-velvet-cake |archive-date=January 21, 2025 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |website=Betty Crocker}}</ref> It was featured at restaurants inside Eaton's department store in Toronto and was widely attributed as a favorite of Flora Eaton.<ref name=NYTimes5.12.14/> The ''Lunch with Lady Eaton'' cookbook refers to it as an "exclusive sweet recipe of Eaton's."<ref name=LunchLadyEaton/> The Waldorf-Astoria also claims to have created the cake.<ref name=WashPost6.11.21/>

==Ingredients and preparation== [[File:Original Red Velvet Recipe Card.jpg|thumb|The red velvet cake recipe by Adams Extract]] The primary ingredients of red velvet cake are baking powder, butter, buttermilk, cocoa powder, eggs, flour, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, vinegar, and, in modern recipes, red food coloring.<ref name=BettyCrocker18Layer/><ref name=NYTimes2.14.07/><ref name=NYTimes6.4.24>{{Cite news |last=Severson |first=Kim |author-link=Kim Severson |date=June 4, 2024 |title=Southern Red Velvet Cake |url=https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016329-southern-red-velvet-cake|access-date=February 4, 2025|newspaper=The New York Times|archive-date=January 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127110725/https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016329-southern-red-velvet-cake |url-status=live }}</ref>

The batter is made by first creaming together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Separately, cocoa powder and red food coloring are combined and then integrated into the mixture. The remaining ingredients are then added, mixed, and blended. After pouring the batter into a cake pan, the cake is baked for 20 to 25 minutes and cooled before adding icing between the layers.<ref name=NYTimes6.4.24/> Most modern recipes call for a cream cheese frosting, but some recipes call for ermine icing.<ref name=BettyCrocker18Layer/><ref name=NYTimes2.14.07/><ref name=NYTimes6.4.24/>

===Variations=== Chef Pamela Moxley's beetroot variation has beetroot, lemon juice, and goat cheese as additional components. According to the variation's recipe, beetroots are chopped to the size of sliced onions and added to the batter, while lemon juice is used to tint the batter red; goat cheese is combined with the cream cheese icing.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Severson |first=Kim |author-link=Kim Severson |title=Beet Red Velvet Cake |url=https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016333-beet-red-velvet-cake |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201071004/https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016333-beet-red-velvet-cake |archive-date=December 1, 2024 |access-date=February 4, 2025 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Other cake variations include red velvet bundt cake, doberge cake, ice cream cake and cheesecake.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Josh |date=February 3, 2025 |title=14 Decadent Red Velvet Dessert Recipes |url=https://www.southernliving.com/decadent-red-velvet-dessert-recipes-6528386 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250205110631/https://www.southernliving.com/decadent-red-velvet-dessert-recipes-6528386 |archive-date=February 5, 2025 |access-date=February 4, 2025 |website=Southern Living}}</ref> Non-cake alternatives of red velvet cake include red velvet cookies, brownies, cinnamon rolls, lattes, teas, waffles, Pop-Tarts, and sundaes. The flavor has also been used in protein powders and vodkas and the scent in candles and air fresheners.<ref name=NYTimes5.12.14 />

==In popular culture== The 1989 film ''Steel Magnolias'' featured an armadillo-shaped red velvet cake, which helped to renew interest in the cake.<ref name=NYTimes2.14.07/><ref name=NYTimes5.12.14/><ref name=BettyCrocker/> In 2002, the singers Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey used a red velvet cake as their wedding cake.<ref name=NYTimes2.14.07/> Eventually, it became trendy in upscale bakeries.<ref name=NYTimes2.14.07/><ref name=NYTimes5.12.14/><ref name=BettyCrocker/> The research director of Packaged Facts, a food research publisher, notes that the cake accounted for 1.5% of all menu items in the United States in 2009, and by 2013, 4.1%. According to Kim Severson of ''The New York Times'', the cake had become "a national commercial obsession" by 2014; she described the cake as having "got its sleeve caught in the American food merchandising machine."<ref name=NYTimes5.12.14/>

In 2021, food writer G. Daniela Galarza, writing in ''The Washington Post'', reported that red velvet cake was often served at events associated with the color red, including Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Juneteenth celebrations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Galarza |first=G Daniela |date=June 11, 2021 |title=Subtly sweet, tender and tangy, this red velvet cake shines with or without food coloring |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/06/11/red-velvet-cake-recipe/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230212014134/https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/06/11/red-velvet-cake-recipe/ |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |access-date=January 22, 2026 |work=The Washington Post}}</ref> However, it is not a cake otherwise closely associated with African-American culture. Although the cake is often considered a Southern cake, chef Virginia Willis described categorizing the cake as part of Southern cuisine as "insulting on some level culturally."<ref name=NYTimes5.12.14/>

==Reception== American chef James Beard considered red velvet cake bland and uninteresting, though he nevertheless published a recipe for it in his 1972 book ''James Beard's American Cookery''.<ref name=NYTimes5.12.14/><ref name=OxfordEncyclopedia/> Angie Mosier of the Southern Foodways Alliance said, "It's the Dolly Parton of cakes: a little bit tacky, but you love her."<ref name=NYTimes2.14.07/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{Cite book |last=Brunvand |first=Jan Harold |author-link=Jan Harold Brunvand |title=The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings |publisher=Norton |year=1981 |isbn=0-393-95169-3 |location=New York}}

==External links== * {{Commons category inline|Red velvet cakes}}

{{Cakes}} {{Chocolate desserts}} {{Christmas}} {{Portal bar|Food||United States}}

Category:American cakes Category:Chocolate cakes Category:Chocolate desserts Category:Christmas cakes Category:Cuisine of the Southern United States Category:Eaton's Category:Valentine's Day