What Is Red Velvet Cake—And Why Is It Red? (2024)

What is red velvet cake? It's one of the most common dessert-related questions. While it's widely regarded as red-dyed chocolate cake, red velvet cake is its own unique confection. So what exactly is the crimson-colored dessert, and why is it such a vivid hue? We're breaking down all there is to know about the popular U.S. cake, including its origin, color, and flavor.

A Brief History of Red Velvet Cake

To understand what red velvet cake is and how it differs from chocolate cake, we need to revisit its history—which began several hundred years ago during the Victorian era.

The Origin of Red Velvet Cake

During the Victorian era (approximately 1837 to 1901), bakers began deeming cakes "velvet cakes" when they were made with ingredients and techniques that resulted in a fine crumb and a soft, smooth, and lofty texture. Almond flour, cocoa powder, and cornstarch were common components of velvet cakes, as were vinegar and buttermilk, which were used to tenderize cakes before cake flour existed.

Around this time, bakers noticed that if they blended acidic ingredients—such as vinegar or buttermilk—with the most common cocoa available at markets—non-Dutch processed cocoa—the cake batter would naturally turn slightly red-colored. When the antioxidant called anthocyanins in raw cocoa powder reacts with anything acidic, it turns dark reddish-brown due to the change in pH.

In the dessert world, this was initially called a "mahogany cake." It delivered a light chocolate flavor and appeared mahogany-colored due to the chemical reaction between baking soda, buttermilk, vinegar, and raw cocoa powder. A mahogany cake was similar to a chocolate cake, but the latter was made with chocolate or a mix of chocolate and cocoa powder. It’s believed that a combination of a mahogany cake and a devil’s food cake was billed as a "velvet cocoa cake" in the early 1900s.

The Popularization of Red Velvet Cake

Since cocoa powder was cheaper than chocolate, velvet cocoa cake was more budget-friendly than chocolate cake. This was a significant factor in red velvet cakes becoming increasingly popular during the Great Depression. The relatively new dessert was a staple sweet treat during that tough financial period, thanks to its affordability compared to other baked goods.As friends, family, and neighbors increasingly baked the dessert, word quickly spread about velvet cocoa cake.

Then, in the 1930s, a chic New York City hotel, the Waldorf-Astoria, added "red velvet cake" to their hotel restaurant menu. Seemingly simultaneously in Canada, Eaton’s Department Store, also started selling the renamed dessert. Both have attempted to lay claim to red velvet cake, but it's clear the recipe was swirling around in home kitchens for years before either business commercialized it.

The Widespread Commercialization of Red Velvet Cake

In the late 1930s, Adams Extract Co. took advantage of an FDA color additives regulation change and began mass manufacturing red food dye. To market the unfamiliar product, the company sold it with a recipe card for red velvet cake made with their dye, which produced a much-brighter-hued cake than the traditional ingredients. The vivid red cake stood out against the stark-white frosting the brand recommended pairing with their modernized red velvet cake.

This was good timing, as more and more cocoa powder manufacturers transitioned to selling Dutch-processed cocoa powder. This kind of cocoa is treated with an alkalizing agent that balances out the acidity, so it doesn’t result in the color-changing chemical reaction with vinegar and buttermilk.

Today, red velvet cake is often made with Dutch-processed cocoa powder, butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking soda, buttermilk, vinegar, and red food coloring. Creative home cooks have also created recipes using beet juice, beet powder, pomegranate powder, or cranberry powder as a natural food dye alternative. Like the original red velvet cake recipe, the result is less vibrant than the fire engine red cake you’ll get with dye. It may taste a little different, too, but it will be delicious in its own right—especially when topped with cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting.

What Flavor Is Red Velvet Cake?

Red velvet cake is not just chocolate cake batter spiked with red food coloring.Because it uses cocoa powder rather than chocolate, red velvet cake has a more subtle chocolate flavor than rich, decadent chocolate cake. Red velvet cake falls somewhere between white cake and chocolate cake on the flavor spectrum. The buttermilk and vinegar give the dessert a slightly tart edge that produces a tangier flavor than the taste of chocolate cake.

How Does Red Velvet Cake Differ From Chocolate Cake?

The main differentiating factors between chocolate cake and red velvet cake are the buttermilk and vinegar in the latter's batter. These acidic red velvet cake ingredients offer a pleasant amount of tartness, which balances the sweet, floral qualities of the vanilla, as well as the rich and buttery flavor of the frosting.

Buttermilk and vinegar also impact the cake's texture. Chocolate cake is usually dense and moist, while red velvet cake has a much lighter and softer crumb since the acidic ingredients result in a more tender finished product.