Red Velvet Cake - Recipes History Trivia

Red Velvet Cake - History of the Dish

Recently, there has been a rebirth in popularity of an old standby, Red Velvet Cake. It seems like you can't go very far these days without seeing a restaurant or bakery featuring Red Velvet cakes or cupcakes. The origins of this dish are obscure, some claiming it is from the South, others saying Canada. The 1896 Boston Cooking-School Cook Book contains a recipe for Velvet Cake, which may be a predecessor of today's cake, but is certainly not red. Red Velvet cake is a red-colored cake usually topped with a rich, cream cheese frosting.

Velvet Cake circa 1905

Velvet Cake vintage advertisement, circa December 1905

Recipes

Velvet Cake
Printable version of recipe
This bare-bones version of Velvet Cake (not red) is reproduced from the above-mentioned original in Fannie Merritt Farmer's The Original Boston Cooking-School Cook Book 1896.
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1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup corn starch
4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup almonds, blanched and shredded
Powdered sugar

Cream the butter, add sugar gradually. Beat the egg yolks well, and add to mixture. Add the water. Mix and sift the flour, corn starch, and baking powder,and add to the liquid mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff, and add to the mixture. Put in a pan, cover with almonds, and sprinke with powdered sugar. Bake 40 minutes in a moderate oven.
Red Velvet Cake
The standard version, from James Beard's American Cookery
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1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp red food coloring
2 Tbsp water
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup buttermilk, or sour milk
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp vinegar

Cream the butter, and cream in the sugar until very light. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Mix the cocoa, food coloring, and water, and add to the creamed mixture. Sift the flour with the baking powder, and add alternately with the buttermilk. Blend well, at low speed. Dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar, and fold carefully into the batter. Pour into two 9-inch greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool in the pans on racks for several minutes, then turn out on the racks to cool completely.

For frosting, beat 8 oz. of cream cheese, 1 Tbsp sour cream, 1/4 cup softened butter and 1 Tbsp vanilla in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 16 oz. of powdered sugar until smooth.

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