ISO RED Velvet Cake with no Added Food Coloring

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Chief Longwind Of The North

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I need a tried and true, luxuriously moist and tender red velvet cake recipe for a wedding cake I'm responsible for making on Saturday, April 9. I'm no stranger to cakes, but don't have a good recipe for a red velvet cake. Also, if anyone has the boiled cake icing recipe that goes with this cake, that would be appreciated as well. I will be making a practice cake tonight.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
GW, if you find one, let me know! All the recipes I have found that SAY they don't need extra coloring just don't look red at all. I've had the best success with some beet juice to color the cake when I didn't want to use food coloring. I do have a recipe for that if you are interested.

The icing I made was just a variation on my cinnamon bun icing using cream cheese. It was fantastic! I've not made the boiled icing but I know I have a recipe in my Gram's cookbook. I'll go hunt for it.
 
This was my second wedding cake, and the first one that I decorated.
The first wedding cake I ever made was an sponge cake, which I'd never made before, in a bunt pan, with a more of the same for both the bottom layer and the sheet cakes. They came out perfectly. But as I'm not a decorator, I left that chore to a close freind who is.

The Red Velvet cake, like the sponge cake was new to me. But the cakes turned out perfectly. And I did decorate it. The wedding party, the guests, and the parents raved about it. I tought the decoration job looked amature at best. But they got the cake for absolutely free (the flowers for the decorations cost $50!). I also grilled a large chicken with a side dish of yellow rice, that I really wish I'd written down the recipe that I made as I cooked it. The rice came out so good, as did the chicken. If you cook a chicken on a Webber, over a drip pan, with two charcoal beds on either side, topped with sticks of maple, unless you overcook it, it just can't help but being great. I'm proud of the food, not so much the cake decorating.

Oh, and I did have to use red food dye in the cake, but only have as much as the recipe called for. Here's pictures.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 

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Looks gorgeous, GW.

I'm learning about writing things down as I make the dish, even if it's soup. Different combinations of ingredients taste differently.

If it comes out really well I have the recipe to repeat it. If it doesn't come out, I can just throw the notes away.
 
Looks gorgeous, GW.

I'm learning about writing things down as I make the dish, even if it's soup. Different combinations of ingredients taste differently.

If it comes out really well I have the recipe to repeat it. If it doesn't come out, I can just throw the notes away.

I keep track of my flops too. They get notes, so I won't bother doing that again. :LOL:

What I usually forget to do is put the notes on the electronic version of the recipe.
 
Oh, yeah - those cakes are gorgeous GW. I'll have to remember your trick of using real flowers. I doubt I will ever get any good at making pretty icing flowers.
 
Best Red Velvet Cake............EVER. But I must warn, it takes practice to get the icing just right.

Cake Recipe

2-3 tablespoons cocoa
2 oz. red food coloring
1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups alll purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

In a large bowl make a paste of the cocoa & food coloring.
Add margarine & sugar, cream until light & fluffy.
Add eggs.
Combine salt with flour.
Start adding flour & buttermilk alternately.
Beginning with flour & ending with flour.
Beat well after each addition.
Add vanilla.
In a small bowl mix together vinegar & baking soda.
Add to mixture & gently fold into batter.
Pour batter into 2-9" greased & floured cake pans.
Bake at 350 for 28 to 32 minutes.
Check for doneness.

ICING
1 cup milk
5 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small sauce pan, add a little milk to the flour stirring until all lumps are gone, add remaining milk.
Cook stirring constantly until mixture is very thick - like pudding.
COOL completely.
IT WILL NOT WORK IF MIXTURE IS WARM.
IT MUST BE COLD.
Add remaining ingredients and beat on high speed until fluffy - like whipped cream.
Spread between layers & side & top of cake.
Top with chopped pecans if desired.

It is best to use the margarine & crisco straight from the refrigerator. The colder the better.
 
I've read about many people using the beet for color but after baking got more of a brown color than red.

This is just one of those cakes where I just deal with the color, since it is such an important part of the cake.

I do understand others not wanting to consume the color, but they really shouldn't be looking to make red velvet cake. Just my humble opinion!
 
I persoanlly have never been able to understand red velvet cake, Isn't really just a chocolate cake with a whole lot of red food coloring added to it? I have had it a couple of time and even made it once, but I can not get excited about it or see what all the fuss is about. Don't take me wrong Nothing againest it - just don't see the purpose of making a perfectly good cake and then dump a lot of red dye in it just to show a nice color.
 
The original red velvet cakes did not rely on any food coloring or beets to color the cake.

Acidic ingredients such as vinegar and buttermilk react with the cocoa to create the reddish color. Later, recipes were modified to add food coloring to enhance the color.
 
The company I currently work for make a Red Velvet Artisan flavoring, developed to be a shelf stable substitute for Purée for professional bakers and commercial bakeries. I don't know much about the product, but I'll check with the developer to ascertain if it is coloured red. If it is, it won't be with food colouring because the products are all natural, most are organic, and some are even certified kosher by our own in-house rabbi! I'll let you know tomorrow.
 
Morning Chief,
The best I have ever found truly 'luxurious' is a chocolate beetroot cake.It is as moist as carrot cake but obviously dark and rich. You could 'Google' various recipes with ingredients that suit you or I can supply mine. I also make a cream cheese icing which is less rich and easy to eat with so many other delicacies around at these occasions.
You could cut in half or make two and sandwich together with a chocolate Ganache.
Let me know if I can help further
 
letscook said:
I persoanlly have never been able to understand red velvet cake, Isn't really just a chocolate cake with a whole lot of red food coloring added to it? I have had it a couple of time and even made it once, but I can not get excited about it or see what all the fuss is about. Don't take me wrong Nothing againest it - just don't see the purpose of making a perfectly good cake and then dump a lot of red dye in it just to show a nice color.

To the best of my knowledge rv cake is a buttermilk cake with red coloring. I believe that the small amount of chocolate was originally added to help offset the bitterness of the red color (most of today's red color aren't bitter). There doesn't seem to be a pronounced chocolate flavor in most rv cakes that I've eaten, I've even seen recipes with no chocolate at all.

I've seen recipes for "red devil" cake that were reddish brown from the chemical reaction, but they would never be mistaken for red velvet cakes.

I enjoy the unique flavor of a properly made rv cake when paired with cream cheese frosting.
 
You can find the product I was talking about at Amoretti. I know the smallest size listed on the web page is more than you would ever need, but they do sell smaller sizes, i.e. 2 ounce, 4 ounce, 8 ounce, etc. Give one of our customer service people a call and they can answer any questions and provide you with everything you need to know about the product.
 
This is an old thread, everyone. The red velvet cake was made, and was a hit (see photos on the first page of this thread). It was a cake made for a special purpose. There are so many cakes that DW loves that I probably won't be making another RV cake for a long while.

But, I thank each of you for trying to help. I an certain that there will be others who read this thread an will be thankful for the info, just as I am, or even more so. You guys and gals are the absolute best.:D

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
The original red velvet cakes did not rely on any food coloring or beets to color the cake.

Acidic ingredients such as vinegar and buttermilk react with the cocoa to create the reddish color. Later, recipes were modified to add food coloring to enhance the color.

I am not sure that there is such kind of reaction between cocoa vinegar and butter milk, that can change brown to red colors.
 
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