Red velvet cake is a type of rich chocolate-flavoured sponge cake that is coloured red, while a chocolate cake is simply a cake made with chocolate or cocoa. We use cocoa powder in both these recipes, but this does not mean that red velvet cake is a chocolate cake.
What Is Red Velvet? While some people think the Red Velvet comes from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in the 1920s, it’s actually a product from the Great Depression. It was a marketing ploy from Adams Extract, a food coloring company. Before this scheme, red velvet was made with cocoa powder, buttermilk, and vinegar.
In a red velvet cake, cocoa powder most serves the purpose of softening the flour and thereby creating finer and more tender crumbs. Cocoa powder used in chocolate cakes, on the other hand, is added for the rich chocolate taste it brings.
A traditional red velvet cake has cream cheese frosting, which is my favorite part of the dessert. This is compared to chocolate cakes, which can have any frosting you want (although traditionally with a chocolate ganache or frosting). What Can I Do With Red Velvet? Luckily for you, red velvet can be used in a variety of desserts or breakfasts.
What Is Red Velvet?
While some people think the Red Velvet comes from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in the 1920s, it’s actually a product from the Great Depression. It was a marketing ploy from Adams Extract, a food coloring company.
Luckily for you, red velvet can be used in a variety of desserts or breakfasts. These red velvet pancakes actually use the classic vinegar and cocoa powder combination to create its color (along with a little bit of red coloring). These cinnamon rolls and cookies use a cake mix, but are still oh so good.
Where does red velvet cake come from?
Before the 1920s, red velvet cake was more of a rust color than the brighter scarlet you usually see now. A chemical reaction among a few key ingredients occurred (more on that in a second) to create that deeper reddish tone naturally.
On top of having all the typical cake ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, and eggs), red velvet cake is also comprised of cocoa powder, buttermilk, and vinegar. When combined, these ingredients create the color as the cocoa powder reacts to the acids. However, if you try this today sans red food coloring, it might not turn out to be that red.
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