Kitchen

[house cat]

Why add all that red dye to the cake? Does it affect the flavor or is it just for presentation? I'd rather have a white cake without all the dye.

I don't understand the popularity of red velvet.

Am I missing something?

[brii]

The red dye doesn't alter the flavor. But red velvet cake is not a white cake - it does contain cocoa.

It's one of my favorite cakes.

[Mom2Dogs]

If you don't add the red dye it is a very unattractive cake....the dye does not add flavor it's visual...for me the frosting is what makes the cake and if you make a layer cake, it is very pretty when you cut into it and present it........

[ilovedaisies]

For me, it's not really about the cake - it's all about the cream cheese frosting!

[lovesrecess]

DH loves the cream cheese frosting.....he prefers a bowl of it and a spoon and would skip the cake part if I let him!

Because there isn't a lot of cocoa in the cake, it is a pretty icky color without the food coloring; maybe that's why it requires it.....I agree with OP though....I don't want to make anything with a whole bottle of red food dye in it.

[stevieb]

If you are, house cat, I'm missing it too. I remember the first time I had it, the person who prepared it had given it a huge build up and while it was good and I sort of feigned exultation so as not to ruffle any feathers, I was sort of underwhelmed and have been ever since then.

[stilltamn8r]

Best cream cheese frosting I have ever made, came from my old "Joy of Cooking" cookbook- I could eat it on graham crackers, saltines, Ritz, the spoon, the knife ANYTHING!!!!

So easy that i sometimes make it and keep it in the fridge in a lock n lock!

[RedTop]

My first taste of Red Velvet cake was in 1973 at a birthday party. We were new high school graduates, and about a dozen of us gathered at my friend's house to celebrate with her and her family. My friend's mom carried in this beautifully decorated layer cake she had made, cutting generous slices of soft "red" cake for everyone, which I thought was divine! I got the recipe, and Red Velvet cake became a new favorite for my family. For me, it will always be a special cake, because I associate it with one of my best friend's 17th birthday party. While I have since used cream cheese icing for this cake, I generally stick with the cooked icing where you start with flour and milk, then beat in butter, sugar, and vanilla.

[house cat]

I agree with stevieb about being underwhelmed by it. I make a delicious cream cheese frosting for my carrot cake. I'm assuming it's the same or similar to that. I would consider that atop a devil's food cake, rather than eating all that dye. I put enough poisons into my body when I don't even realize it, I would hesitate to add them on purpose.

[brii]

There are white velvet cake recipes without all the red food coloring.