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Red Velvet Cake

Jan 15, 2006 | From the kitchen of Rose

LIBBY QUESTION

Dear Rose,
I am an avid fan of yours and have been dedicated to the Cake Bible for as long as I have been baking. I've always wished you had a recipe for Red Velvet Cake in your book. I have tried to use your method of incorporating ingredients, but still have not found the success I experience with your recipes in baking. Do you have a recipe and if so would you share it?
Thank you for making me a better baker. Your book is amazing (as is your pie cookbook which I also love).
Most sincerely and with much admiration

ROSE REPLY

thank you dear libby. a red velvet cake is simply a layer cake that uses one bottle of liquid red food color for some of the liquid, so all you have to do is chose any of my cakes (yellow or white) and replace an equal volume of the liquid with the red food color.

RETRACTION i was so wrong and those of you who have my newest book Rose's Heavenly Cakes will see that I have created my version of the classic red velvet cake which I now love so much I even made a wedding cake which is also posted on the blog!

Kathy1 in reply to comment from woody
08/30/2010 09:43 AM

Thanks for the quick response Woody.

Kathy1 in reply to comment from Bill
08/30/2010 09:39 AM

Thanks Bill. I will use the supermarket liquid red food coloring.

woody in reply to comment from Kathy
08/26/2010 11:33 PM

Kathy, our Red Velvet needs to made with either red liquid food coloring or from beet juice, which Rose has shown how to make it in Rose's Heavenly Cakes. I tried gels and pastes in our testing and they perform differently because they generally have sugar or some other component in them.

Bill
08/26/2010 10:53 AM

I've never tried this...but my instinct tells me that you should make up the difference in liquid with water. That being said, I have a friend who is self-proclaimed red velvet expert and she always says that one should use regular supermarked red food color in red velvet cake and not gel or paste color.

Kathy
08/26/2010 09:52 AM

Hi Rose. When I bake your red velvet cake I am using only 1 teaspoon of red food gel instead of the 2 tablespoons liquid food coloring because the gel is concentrated. Do I need to add more liquid to the recipe to compensate for the loss of the additional food coloring? Thanks.

Julia in reply to comment from Rose Levy Beranbaum
08/10/2010 08:47 PM

Thanks so much for such a quick response! I live in Canada and she's getting married in October, so I'm not too worried about topical heat- although I wish I were! hehe I'm still a little skeptical about leaving the cake out, so I might do a 2 tiered trial run to see how things turn out? thanks!

Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from Julia
08/10/2010 04:23 PM

the dreamy creamy frosting is very stable and can sit for several hours at room temp providing it's not in a very warm area such as the tropics!

Julia
08/10/2010 04:14 PM

Hi Rose!

Quick question- I'm very new to baking red velvet cake, however I have tried your recipe and love it! I'm hoping to make this cake for a friends wedding- she also wants cream cheese frosting as the filling and iced in fondant. Since I don't have much experience with making red velvet cakes I'd assume this cake would need to be refrigerated, right? Do you think the the cake would be able to sit out on display for long periods? I'm a little concerened about that! The wedding isn't for a couple of months but I'd like to prepare and let the bride know what we'd have to do :) Thanks so much!!!

Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from Stephanie
07/19/2010 05:32 PM

stephanie, the amount of beet juice and the difference in color is clearly described in the book. you might also light to experiment with powdered beet color available at kalustyan's in NY (they mail order). i've never used it but i think it would be worth a try.

Stephanie
07/16/2010 04:45 PM

Rose,
I need to make a red velvet cake for a wedding next month, though the bride is allergic to red food coloring. According to your Heavenly Cakes book, you can substitute beet juice for the coloring. I have a bottle of beet juice, but I was interested in learning the amount to use so that the cake doesn't come out brown. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

Rose in reply to comment from C
06/09/2010 05:10 PM

gee C, i thought i apologized for that many postings down this thread and, in fact, gave my best rendition of a true red velvet cake in my new book. i'll have to add this to the original posting.

C
06/09/2010 05:00 PM

Rose, red velvet cake is NOT "any" cake with red food colouring. Any red velvet cake I have ever seen a recipe for has a very delicate chocolate flavour with a rich texture and rich cream frosting - so telling your clients to use "any cake recipe and add red food colouring" is rediculous and shameful a baker such as yourself would suggest.

Vani in reply to comment from Beth
05/07/2010 11:30 PM

Hi, Beth!!

I'm totally in love with red elvet cake and it would be great to know your gradma's recipe!

Did you find it??

Thanks!

woody in reply to comment from Anat
05/07/2010 01:11 AM

Just to warn you, Anat, I found it difficult to match the bright color of the red food coloring with mixing paste & water. Also, both the paste and beets have a sugar component to them. Sucrose for the paste and sugar from the beets. This may effect how the cake domes in the pan. Our recipes for single layer cakes is for a slight, rounded dome. The sugar component may lower the center a bit to flatten the top.
I would go with the beets as we do give a recipe in the Notes, page 85, on how to substitute them for the red food coloring. Happy baking.

Rose in reply to comment from Anat
05/06/2010 10:29 PM

the color will not be as beautiful as the liquid food color one but it will still be nice. i'm really not sure which is the best option between beet juice and paste.

Anat in reply to comment from Rose Levy Beranbaum
05/06/2010 08:01 PM

Oh gosh. Firstly thank you for your quick response.
Secondly, I have only two options now because I have to bake the cake tomorrow: either to use beets or the paste & water. which is preferable do you think?
In what way doesn't the paste work well?
Thanks again for your very quick reply! Anat

Rose in reply to comment from Anat
05/06/2010 04:38 PM

we tried it and it doesn't work well. it has other components that alter the color after baking.

Anat
05/06/2010 04:35 PM

Can I substitue 1 oz of red paste diluted with water for a 1 oz bottle of red food coloring? for some reason there is a shortage in the grocery stores of red food coloring. Thanks.

tracy in reply to comment from vreeke
05/04/2010 12:13 PM

thanks-I'll definitely will give it a try. One question: did you use beet juice or dye?

vreeke in reply to comment from tracy
05/03/2010 08:31 PM

Tracy,
I changed Roses recipe a bit to be more similar to my old recipe. I loved the texture of Rose's cake but I like the taste of mine a bit more.
I used whole eggs instead of whites, vegetable oil instead of Canola, doubled the amount of cocoa and added a teaspoon of white vinegar.
Try it and let us know how it turns out.
Lori V.

tracy
05/03/2010 08:10 PM

Hi, I've baked 3 red velvet cakes in the last 2 days-looking for the perfect recipe. I made one cake with red dye and one cake with beet juice, both using Roses recipe. They came out very different and can't figure out why. The cake made with beet juice was moister with a more chocolate flavor-although both had the same amount of chocolate in them. The beet cake had no red color at all. Both were a little dry. Can anyone help me figure this out? thanks!

John B
03/12/2010 01:24 PM

As a Southerner, we claim red velvet cake as something of a regional specialty. As such, I would say that it's not either a white or yellow cake with red food coloring mixed in, but instead is better seen as a german chocolate cake base with red food coloring. The dutch processed cocoa is the key, an ingredient that is not typically found in either white or yellow cake.

mindy
11/16/2009 03:04 PM

I use beets, but if you use the juices as well (boiling them until they're reduced by 1/2 and replacing some of the liquid in your cake recipe) you get a redder color. The reaction someone was talking about earlier was with that the natural 'undutched' cocoa powder causes the cake to turn red (like in devils food cake)

Rose
10/06/2009 02:23 PM

sara, i have to laugh when i see my original posting above from almost 3 years ago! how wrong i was. so many red velvets i've tasted since have the texture of dust and i am now so proud of my final version. fine to use the all purpose flour but for those less experienced pls pay attention to the amount indicated in the recipe--all purpose weighs more than cake flour so you need to use less by volume but the same by weight. and, definitely bleached all purpose. thanks sara for calling this recipe to everyone's attention!

Sara
10/06/2009 01:19 PM

I purchased the book "Heavenly Cakes" and made the Red Velvet. WOW! Here in Philadelphia Red Velvet is the lastest hype. I tried a cupcake from a famous deli - DRY and too much chocolate. I tried a Food Network's recipe - spongee. I tried Rose's - it was delicious, moist and had the prettiest red color. Not sure what the original Red Velvet Cake is suppose to taste like but this recipe is definitely a winner. I made two changes, I used AP flour, sifting it twice. I used 2 teaspoons of cocoa. (Per note at the end - I used less that amount of flour.)

Antony Jiovanazzo
05/02/2009 12:19 PM

THANKS! These both look good! I will try one out this weekend! I love red velvet cake.

Bungalow Barbara
05/01/2009 09:07 PM

And two recipes from people who actually tried making this cake with beets:

http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/seeing-red/
http://balancefood.blogspot.com/2008/02/beet-red-velvet-cake-and-rsbc-challenge.html

Bungalow Barbara
05/01/2009 09:04 PM

Oops, for some reason my first post did not come through. Let's try again:

Two articles from Serious Eats:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/02/a-red-velvet-affair-recipe.html
http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/02/red-velvet-cake-history.html

Bungalow Barbara
05/01/2009 06:44 PM

Here are a couple more Red Velvet cake links that may prove useful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Velvet_Cake

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/dining/14velv.html

Roseanna
04/27/2009 11:16 PM

I was told there was a recipe with the beets in a booked entitled "How It All Vegan." I have never looked though

Antony
04/21/2009 08:39 PM

BEETS! My grandmother used vinegar and beets. She passed away some time ago and I have never been able to find her recipie. Does anyone have a recipie that calls for beets that they can share?

Beth
02/09/2009 01:30 PM

The original red velvet cakes made way back when, did not have food coloring in them. The red came from a chemical reaction of vinegar with another ingredient (which escapes me at the moment). I have been looking for that recipe & hope to locate it in my great grandmother's 1000's of recipes. As soon as I come across it I will happily share it with you all!

Avid Red Velvet baker
12/17/2008 03:30 PM

The flour/butter/sugar one is the original frosting for this cake. Just remember to beat the sugar until you think it is ready and then beat it some more. This frosting is what makes the cake. Also my recipe for the cake part is more involved than just adding food coloring to a bax cake mix.

Patrincia
08/26/2008 09:18 AM

Johnny - are you a member on the forum? If not, sign up and send me a PM with your email address and I'll forward Lori V's red velvet recipe to you.

Johnny
08/26/2008 09:11 AM

Would you happen to have that recipe for the Red Velvet cake? I need to make one for my sister for her birthday,

Thanks
Johnny

Patrincia
05/19/2008 09:28 AM

Geri - Congratulations! Do you have a photo to share on the forum?

Geri
05/18/2008 09:09 PM

The birthday went great! My son was not only surprised but he loved the cake. I did it! The cream cheese frosting was to die for. Everyone enjoyed the cake! Thanks much!

Ardella
05/18/2008 12:55 PM

Geri, I hope he has a wonderful birthday and the cake turns out great! Let us know how the day went.

Geri
05/17/2008 10:31 PM

Thanks much for your help! Wish me luck! I have never made a red velvet cake and I will try to make one tomorrow for my son's 28th birthday. I will also make the cream cheese frosting! I am so glad I came upon this site. It is now on my favorite sites list!

Ardella
05/17/2008 09:30 AM

Yes, Geri
I ditto that! Only cream cheese frosting should top that cake.

Patrincia
05/17/2008 07:34 AM

Hi Geri - here in VA, only cream cheese frosting will do on a red velvet cake.

Geri
05/17/2008 04:09 AM

Help! What is the true frosting which is used on the red velvet cake? The majority of the recipes I have seen call for the flour/butter/sugar icing and I have also seen the cream cheese frostings. Which one is true to this cake. My son wants this for his birthday cake tomorrow. Thanks!

Vreeke
05/13/2008 12:35 PM

Laura,
When is her birthday? Is there enough time to mail some red food coloring to you?
I don't know of a reliable substitute.
Lori V.

Laura
05/13/2008 12:33 PM

My daughter wants red velvet cake for her birthday.we live in Italy and I cannot find red food coloring.I saw someone asked for possible substitutes, but I didn't see an answer. (Beets turn brown?) Anyone know of red food coloring substitute? Grazie Mille!

Patrincia
01/29/2008 09:28 AM

Additionally, I might consider freezing a whole, crumb-coated cake though.

Patrincia
01/29/2008 09:26 AM

Do you mean freeze leftovers slices, or an entire cake? I would consider freezing leftovers, but know the quality of your thawed slice might be a bit different than fresh.

I personally would not freeze a whole, decorated cake. I would much rather freeze the cake layers seperately, and then thaw and frost as needed.

kate
01/28/2008 10:51 PM

Can you freeze the Red Velvet cake that has been frosted with the flour/milk/sugar/butter frosting? I know you can with a buttercreme or one that has cream cheese in it.

Patrincia
12/03/2007 08:17 AM

Actually, I don't believe Rose makes a Red Velvet cake mix - scratch that idea.

Patrincia
12/03/2007 08:11 AM

You mention time constraints, but the only suggestion I could make for you to doctor up your plan is to avoid pre-made frosting at all costs... it's overly sweet, gritty, and has a very unpleasant and chemical tasting quality. Run of the mill cake mixes aren't quite as bad, but if you can find one of Rose's cake mixes that would be much better.

G-Marie
12/03/2007 01:25 AM

I am making Red Velvet Cupcakes for a potluck. I have opted to use a store bought mix and frosting due to time constraints. Any ideas to doctor it up a bit?

Vreeke
11/22/2007 09:00 AM

Red Velvet cakers,
I recently posted my new recipe for Red Velvet cake on Rose's new Forum. You might want to check out the thread and recipe.
Lori V.

Diane
11/21/2007 03:09 PM

I know this is a month + after this discussion, but I thought I'd add that when I first starting baking, the frosting recipe for the Red Velvet Cake (from the Adams Vanilla bottle I believe) called for shortening instead of butter. I've never had a failure with Crisco in this frosting. I beat the Crisco and granulated sugar for up to 30 minutes so as to dissolve the sugar, before adding the cooked and cooled flour/milk mixture.

Matthew
10/17/2007 09:36 AM

Bruce,
I agree with Patrincia that temperature is most likely the problem. Your recipe is sort of like a pastry-cream butter cream. Each of the two components should be roughly the same temperature when you combine them together, otherwise, it will break, or "curdle."

Patrincia
10/17/2007 08:26 AM

Bruce - I'm not familiar with this kind of icing, but assuming your milk/flour mixture has thickened properly and cooled completely, sounds like maybe your butter is too warm when you add it. How long do you let it sit out at room temp? The butter should never have a greasy or separated look. It should look exactly like a cold stick of butter, but be squishable when touched.

Another thought is maybe the icing is being mixed for too long... when it "breaks", does it do so immediately, or after you've been mixing for a while?

bruce
10/16/2007 11:43 PM

The recipe I use is:

1c. sweet milk
3 Tbs. flour
1c. white sugar
1c. butter
1 Tbs. vanilla

Mix milk and flour to smooth paste in double boiler over simmering water, until thick. Cool completely.
Cream sugar and butter until fluffy, add vanilla.
Gradually add 1 Tbs. cooked mixture at a time to butter/sugar beating continuously.
Beat at full speed for 2 minutes.
Spread on top of each layer (not sides).

Bill
10/16/2007 03:37 PM

Rose:
I am thrilled that you are developing a redvelvet cake recipe. Red velvet cake is a favorite of my best friend and my significant other. I just can't find one that I like. I have tried 4 different recipies to date and was even thinking of trying to develop one on my own, using the principles that I've learned reading your books. The prosepect of such a project was a little daunting...I don't know...cake with vinegar, a little cocoa, lots of red food coloring... I am, however, by nature a lazy person and have just kept putting it off... besides, what do you do with all the cake from the trial runs? lol...My door men would be very happy (I'm always sending down cake for them anyway). I have baked my way through much of the cake bible and have yet to find a recipe that wasn't spectacular. I'm sure that your red velvet cake will be amazing!. I can wait. I may be lazy but I'm patient.

Bill

Patrincia
10/15/2007 01:22 PM

What is the recipe for your cooked milk icing?

Bruce
10/15/2007 12:53 PM

We always make red cake for birthday cakes, because it is so festive. We use the vanilla, cooked milk icing but sometimes it breaks and we can't seem to make it come back together, other times it is fine. Not sure what we are doing differently. Any suggestions?

Vreeke
08/21/2007 11:15 PM

Marianne,
After trying many eggless chocolate recipes, I finally picked one and the bride and bridal party all enjoyed it. I on the other hand hated it! It was not as good as I am used to when using the Cake Bible recipes. I don't think I will agree to make that cake again. As far as a white or yellow eggless recipe goes, I gave up.
I'm done with trying to cater to those type of cakes.
Good Luck,
Lori V.

Marianne Ludwig
08/21/2007 07:59 PM

I was interested in Lori's comment about the vegan wedding cake. I, too, have been baking (and throwing away) countless white cake attempts for my vegan baking program. I have found several really good chocolate cake recipes that have no eggs or dairy, but a white/yellow cake that has the texture of its egg and milk counterpart has been elusive. They are usually wet, heavy, and more like a bad quick bread than a cake. Some of the recipes are not too awful if used as cupcakes, but a regular layer size is more like an eight inch hockey puck. Any suggestions?

Marianne

Patrincia
08/21/2007 03:30 PM

A & A - it depends on your frosting. If you frost with a traditional cream cheese frosting, then the answer would be yes.

A & A
08/21/2007 02:00 PM

Does red velvet cake require refrigeration?

Carolyn Carter
07/04/2007 09:36 PM

Since red velvet is the cake I bake abysmally, a friend wants me to bake her daughter's wedding cake and of course it has to be red velvet. We also have an altitude problem, but I can deal with that. Any good recipes in large sizes?
CC

Reeni Espino
06/12/2007 01:31 AM

Just wanted to chime in that it is not actually Sara Moulton's recipe, it's Cakeman Raven's from when he guested on her show. It is his signature cake and he wears red pants and hat to underscore that. Some of my students have made the cake from this recipe and it comes quite close to the ones he passed out during the wedding cake competition we both joined in Las Vegas (we were next to one another and made New York jokes).
Lookng forward to doing a side-by-side comparison with Rose's Red velvet... A red velvet rose! How poetic, I can see the picture now.:D

Jen N
06/11/2007 05:07 PM

Vreeke, I have made the Sara Moulton Red Velvet cake in many sizes, using Rose's leavening adjustment guidelines... My clients absolutely love it, but I'm waiting with bated breath until Rose lets us see her recipe!

I would actually not recommend converting the recipe to cake flour - it is incredibly moist (almost too moist, if there can be such a thing!) and tender...i think you'll be surprised - it's easy to forget there is AP flour in it. Also, be sure to bake it long enough, as I've found it sometimes requires a longer bake than the recipe indicates. I've also tweaked the flour & buttermilk amounts in various tests..

Curious to hear your results. Best of luck,

Jen N

Vreeke
06/11/2007 03:22 PM

The wedding for the Vegan cake is not until July and I'm not really looking forward to it. The bride & groom liked the taste but I thought it was terrible tasting. I guess it's just what you are used to. The suggestion I received from one of you about encouraging them to have the other tiers not eggless would have been great. I will definitely encourage that in the future.
Thanks for asking and I will report back after the wedding.
Lori V.
Pastries By Vreeke

Matthew
06/11/2007 03:11 PM

Lori,
Can you tell us how your vegan cake turned out?

Vreeke
06/11/2007 02:56 PM

I am going to be making the Red Velvet Cake from Sara Moulton. Has anyone substituted Cake flour for the all-purpose flour? I like the finer texture especially for wedding cakes.
Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Lori V.
Pastries By Vreeke

Patrincia
06/05/2007 12:03 AM

Donna - have you thought about tinting Rose's white butter cake formula with red food coloring?

Rose
06/04/2007 09:36 PM

donna, forgive me but i can't publish it until the book comes out fall of 2008.

Donna
06/04/2007 09:35 PM

Hi.
Were you ever able to develop a recipe for red velvet? Is it published anywhere? I'm making a wedding cake in a few weeks and so far testing of different recipes haven't lived up to your recipes in the Cake Bible. I love the Cake Bible. I've used it so much the pages are starting to fall out.

pam Schow
03/04/2007 10:09 AM

Help, I am making a red velvet cake and I need a substitutefor red food coloring. asap

Rose
02/27/2007 11:25 AM

yes--temperature has a huge influence on flavor but also time can soften rough edges. red wine, for ex. becomes more bitter when cold whereas other substances become less so.

Kelsey
02/27/2007 03:33 AM

Update:I just had another piece of cake and the bitterness for the most part was gone! What happened? The other person who thought it was bitter last night also noticed the difference. Could it be that I put it in the fridge last night and the cold did something? Or maybe because it was a day old? I think tomorrow I'll have another piece, but let it sit a while before tasting it--maybe eating it cold tonight was a factor?

Rose
02/26/2007 10:00 AM

you've learned something really important here. people's level of bitterness perception is genetic. those who require sugar to make coffee taste right (me me) also find other food substances more bitter. in my upcoming book i'm giving a range of cocoa for this cake. the acidity especially of the vinegar really accentuates the bitterness.

Kelsey
02/26/2007 02:42 AM

Thanks for responding so fast! Yes, I used 3 tsp of cocoa in the red velvet cake. Other people were using 2-3 Tblsp and loved the cake. I don't understand. Maybe some people are more sensitive to that bitter taste than others. 2 out of 5 people that tasted my cake thought it was bitter. The other 3 didn't notice.

Rose
02/25/2007 07:08 PM

my guess is that you did the version with more than 1 teaspoon of cocoa and i also found that version had a bitter after-taste.

Kelsey
02/25/2007 06:41 PM

I've just baked my first red velvet cake. As I was assembling it I took a taste of some crumbs...the initial taste was good, however there was a bitter aftertaste. Is this how red velvet cakes are supposed to taste? I will try the complete cake tonight and see if it tastes better with the frosting.

Rose
02/22/2007 08:19 AM

i haven't officially posted/announced it yet because i am waiting for the publisher to sign the contract BUT it looks like a spanish version of the cake bible will be in the works shortly! thanks for asking.

Patricia
02/22/2007 06:47 AM

Hi Rose!

Thanks a lot for your recipes! Now I'm the official cake-baker of my family!! hehehe
My question is if I can find your book "The Cake Bible" in Spanish. I find difficult to understand some technical words :(

Thanks for your answer!

Rose
02/14/2007 02:26 PM

i have been cajoled into developing a recipe for the red velvet. it's about to go into the oven. there is no substitute for red food color as beet, which works wonderfully with the acidic dough of bread becomes brownish in the essentially base cake batter.
so i'm creating my version of a red velvet using the red food color--really i don't in the end have a problem with it as long as there's more to the cake than the color and believe me there will be or i won't be including it in my next book. since everyone who has posted about it seems to adore the flavor and texture as well i'm sure i will too!
happy valentine's day all!!!!

anna
02/14/2007 01:54 PM

Hi,
How about freshly squeezed beet juice?
Has anybody tried?

Thanks,
Rgds,
Anna

Anna
02/14/2007 01:43 PM

Sorry All,
I was refering to red velvet cake:)
Rgds,
Anna

aNNA
02/14/2007 01:40 PM

Uhm....there must be a substitute for the colour ... will not miss it personally - did not know about the cake until today:)- what to add to keep it soft (orange juice ?)...
like the recipe as it is very simple - the cake must be great !
have a great recipe here that I would like to share- will post it soon - have to translate it into Eng - nut cake recipe, simple and great - 100% natural .

Rgds, Anna

Rose
12/21/2006 10:50 AM

p.s. and of course with chocolate cakes, be sure to cover the cocoa and water mixture so it doesn't evaporate and dry out!

Rose
12/21/2006 10:50 AM

there are two possible reasons for dry cakes:
1) if you didn't weigh the flour and when measuring it added too much (you have to sift into the cup until it mounds over the top and level it off without tapping or shaking hte cup)--i'm assuming you're using cake flour, if all purpose you need to use less volume(see substitutions in the book)
2) over-baking: the cakes should not start shrinking from the sides of the pan. a metal cake tester should come out completely clean but a wooden toothpick or skewer should have a few little crumbs clinging to it.
let us know if this helps.

m. cruz
12/21/2006 10:46 AM

Hi Rose, wow you respond so quickly - thank you! I purchased your cake bible book yesterday and tried your downy butter cake. I am a novice baker (just started later this year) and my cakes almost always come out a tad dry, except for the chocolate ones. Am I overbaking? I usually stay within the recommended time but I wait until the cake tester comes completely clean with absolutely no crumbs. Would that be the reason? Should the tester have a few crumbs sticking to it? Please help. I also live in a very hot and humid place - if that can help you assess my problem. Thank you for responding so quickly - I was so pleasantly surprised.

Rose
12/20/2006 02:15 PM

m. cruz, why don't you try the link posted a little further up by redshoes? seems everyone likes that one. as you can see from my posting, it's not my style of cake .

Rose
12/20/2006 02:12 PM

maya that is the most difficult cake in the book. i can't help you beyond what i wrote in the very very carefully detailed instructions. but i do advise that you do a little practise piping to see if you can handle it. when the book first came out, my publicist's little girl was diagnosed with leukemia. her father showed her the book and said pick a cake for your birthday and i'll make it. she picked the rose trellis and of course he couldn't say no. he was very good with his hands though he had never piped anything before. his specialty was designing prosthetic devices. and he accomplished it! that little girl is now graduating from college.

M. Cruz
12/20/2006 01:52 PM

I have tried several red velvet cakes and the taste is lacking focus somewhat. It is neither here nor there. How can I make such a beautiful looking cake taste just as good? Also, everytime I have tried to make sour cream coffee cake and red velvet cupcakes, they come out dry or rubbery. However, my chocolate ones have come out perfectly soft and moist each time. I do follow the recommended times and temperature but still consistently dry. What am I doing wrong?

Maya Tavernier
12/20/2006 01:28 PM

I recently got married and purchased your book the Cake Bible. My cake baking attempts have always been disasters. I was pleasantly surprised when I followed your recipes and the cakes were both attractive and delicious. Thanks!! I do have a question however. I offered to bake my brother-in-law's fiancee a cake for her bridal shower. She wants the Rose Trellis cake she saw in your book. I have never made a lattice in my life and I don't know how to start. Please help.

Rose
12/18/2006 03:01 PM

most butter type layer cakes freeze well if wrapped airtight and defrosted first in the frig and then brought to full room temperature before serving. it's trickier to freeze frosted cakes bc first the frosting has to freeze solid enough to wrap it. then the wrapping has to be removed before thawing in the frig so it doesn't efface the frosting. but it can certainly be done.

Pat Ward-Axness
12/18/2006 02:40 PM

I'm using a recipe from Southern Living for red velvet cake and would like bake it several days in advance - does it freeze will, with out any glaze or icing?

Dianne Greene
11/29/2006 09:22 AM

I am a red velvet geek, and I was absolutely blown away by the flippantly remarked line that a red velvet is just a ... . Absolutely not. I think it is one of the most crafted, flavorful, delicious, and exceptional dessert cakes ever made. It is baked with the flavor which is usually added after by way of composition/assembling. Why does the box mix red velvet style taste so bland even worse than their sister boxes? No vinegar, nor buttermilk if using one or both of these ingredients, and of course the quality of the chocolate/cocoa. Box mixes can be adjusted to become a true red velvet. I have have substituted colors, but that is all. I hope that everyone reading goes for the taste which tells the heart and soul of the baker. The color is just the prefix color discription. The holiday season is here so I hope that lots of True Red Velvet Cakes a will be served.

Bejie
11/21/2006 10:23 PM

Try the frosting recipe that is cooked milk and flour that is cooled and then has creamed sugar and butter whipped in. It must be refrigerated, but it is really the "traditional" red velvet frosting.

Katherine
08/10/2006 07:07 PM

My mother and grandmother use a slightly different recipe than the one posted above. It can be found on this page: http://www.geocities.com/brittlandk/desserts3.html

stefi levy
07/20/2006 04:30 AM

I just made Red Velvet cake by Sara Moulton. Being very keen baker it was a must for me try this one. Looks great, and taste just delicious. Even thou I prefer continental type of cakes (I am from Europe) this one is realy special. Many, many thanks to RedShoes for posting this one.

Rose
02/07/2006 12:18 PM

thank you for bringing up to speed. I'll have to revisit it.

Cristina Fernández
02/06/2006 04:41 AM

Me gustaría saber si hay posibilidades de encontrar los recetarios de cocina de la Sra. Rose Levy en ESPAÑOL, en internet .....
Gracias.

Cristina
02/04/2006 08:35 PM

A true red velvet cake has a small amount of cocoa powder, a cup of buttermilk and a dash of vinegar in it! I am very disappointed to hear the authority on cakes steering people so far astray. A red velvet cake is truly something special, not simply a layer cake with a pinch of cocoa and a "bottle of red food color".

RedShoes
01/31/2006 03:15 AM

May I disagree? A true red velvet cake is a white cake with one teaspoon of cocoa powder in it. Just enough to make you ask, "what is that I taste?" and not be able to put your finger on it.

The best recipe I have used (and I am a red velvet cake fanatic), is this one:
Southern Red Velvet Cake by Sara Moulton

The "2 Tablespoons red Food Coloring" instruction should not be taken lightly. Any less, and you will not get a true red cake.

Rose
01/15/2006 10:19 PM

you're right! it is a chocolate layer cake with a bottle of red food color as part of the liquid.

Sarah
01/15/2006 09:02 PM

I thought red velvet cake contained cocoa powder. Is that not correct? Most other recipes on the internet mention some amount of cocoa in the cake mix.

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Welcome to Real Baking with Rose, the personal blog of author Rose Levy Beranbaum.

Heavenly Cake Bake Along

Hector's Take on Rose's Cakes

Red Velvet Cake