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Over the past few weeks, The Monkey has gotten numerous requests for Red Velvet Cake. This chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting seems to have lots of fans on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. Intrigued, I did a little research into this famous cake.
What differentiates the Red Velvet cake from a typical chocolate cake is its red hue. Urban legend (or bad science) says that the red coloring is due to the chemical interaction between the buttermilk and an acid, like vinegar or lemon juice, with the Dutch process cocoa powder in the recipe. But this is actually not true. While Dutch process cocoa powder does in itself have a slightly red appearance, the actual cake isn’t really red-red without some extra help.
Red Velvet cakes usually go one step further than regular old Devil’s Food (another classic chocolate cake that is also slightly reddish-brown thanks to the cocoa powder), by adding red food coloring or beets to the recipe to pump up that red-red just a notch more. Think of that armadillo groom’s cake in Steel Magnolias and you get the drift. In the 1970s, when Red Number Two, a common food coloring, was taken off the shelves for being potentially carcinogenic, people used beets or beet baby food to enhance the shade.
Like many other famous recipes, the Red Velvet Cake has numerous stories associated with it, and its invention is credited at a couple of different places, but no one seems to have any documented information supporting any of the stories.
The most common story is that Red Velvet cake was invented at Oscar’s in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City in the 1920s, though there are is no written documentation on this cake in the archives at the hotel. Another less likely story is that the cake was invented by the wife of the owner of Eaton’s department store in Canada. Attached to both of these stories is the lore that, like the famous Mrs. Fields cookie recipe legend, a patron requested the recipe and was promptly billed $100, $200 or $350 for the information. Disgruntled, the person who inadvertently paid for the recipe then passed it out to as many people as she could to get back at the hotel (or department store). Interesting how a cake with likely Northern roots is now considered a Southern classic.
Of course I also consulted my Southern Go-To Gal, Lara, on the subject. She says, “First, anything other than cream-cheese frosting is completely inappropriate. I've seen recipes that use regular vanilla and that, to me, is bull-honkey. Second, for some reason, red velvet cake conjures up images of Elvis in my mind. I don't know why...perhaps the "velvet Elvis" correlation.
Therefore, I think the only suitable background music for your cake-baking experience is a compilation of Elvis hits. Sing along with "That's Alright, Mama" while you measure the ingredients. Mix the batter to "All Shook Up." After it bakes, cool it off with "In the Ghetto," and for the grand finale of the icing, blast "Suspicious Minds" and rock out. Maybe even sprinkle some edible glitter on the top for added pizzaz.”
Okay, that really didn’t shed any light on the subject, but I sure do like Lara’s Elvis themed cake-baking experience idea. Talk about a fun party! And edible glitter! How much fun is that! I say rock out and go for it!
Well, CDK has your recipes for Red Velvet cake. And do I have a fabulous recipe for delicious, creamy cream cheese frosting that you can frost your cake with. Or you can simply make your favorite chocolate cake recipe so long as it’s not too dark, and add some red food coloring to it (it’s safe these days). Or if you have a recipe for Red Velvet you’d like to share with me, pass it on!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
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Just a Little Bit of Red
Over the past few weeks, The Monkey has gotten numerous requests for Red Velvet Cake. This chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting seems to have lots of fans on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line. Intrigued, I did a little research into this famous cake.
What differentiates the Red Velvet cake from a typical chocolate cake is its red hue. Urban legend (or bad science) says that the red coloring is due to the chemical interaction between the buttermilk and an acid, like vinegar or lemon juice, with the Dutch process cocoa powder in the recipe. But this is actually not true. While Dutch process cocoa powder does in itself have a slightly red appearance, the actual cake isn’t really red-red without some extra help.
Red Velvet cakes usually go one step further than regular old Devil’s Food (another classic chocolate cake that is also slightly reddish-brown thanks to the cocoa powder), by adding red food coloring or beets to the recipe to pump up that red-red just a notch more. Think of that armadillo groom’s cake in Steel Magnolias and you get the drift. In the 1970s, when Red Number Two, a common food coloring, was taken off the shelves for being potentially carcinogenic, people used beets or beet baby food to enhance the shade.
Like many other famous recipes, the Red Velvet Cake has numerous stories associated with it, and its invention is credited at a couple of different places, but no one seems to have any documented information supporting any of the stories.
The most common story is that Red Velvet cake was invented at Oscar’s in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City in the 1920s, though there are is no written documentation on this cake in the archives at the hotel. Another less likely story is that the cake was invented by the wife of the owner of Eaton’s department store in Canada. Attached to both of these stories is the lore that, like the famous Mrs. Fields cookie recipe legend, a patron requested the recipe and was promptly billed $100, $200 or $350 for the information. Disgruntled, the person who inadvertently paid for the recipe then passed it out to as many people as she could to get back at the hotel (or department store). Interesting how a cake with likely Northern roots is now considered a Southern classic.
Of course I also consulted my Southern Go-To Gal, Lara, on the subject. She says, “First, anything other than cream-cheese frosting is completely inappropriate. I've seen recipes that use regular vanilla and that, to me, is bull-honkey. Second, for some reason, red velvet cake conjures up images of Elvis in my mind. I don't know why...perhaps the "velvet Elvis" correlation.
Therefore, I think the only suitable background music for your cake-baking experience is a compilation of Elvis hits. Sing along with "That's Alright, Mama" while you measure the ingredients. Mix the batter to "All Shook Up." After it bakes, cool it off with "In the Ghetto," and for the grand finale of the icing, blast "Suspicious Minds" and rock out. Maybe even sprinkle some edible glitter on the top for added pizzaz.”
Okay, that really didn’t shed any light on the subject, but I sure do like Lara’s Elvis themed cake-baking experience idea. Talk about a fun party! And edible glitter! How much fun is that! I say rock out and go for it!
Well, CDK has your recipes for Red Velvet cake. And do I have a fabulous recipe for delicious, creamy cream cheese frosting that you can frost your cake with. Or you can simply make your favorite chocolate cake recipe so long as it’s not too dark, and add some red food coloring to it (it’s safe these days). Or if you have a recipe for Red Velvet you’d like to share with me, pass it on!
Cream Cheese And Sour Cream Frosting
Made with sour cream, cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, rum extract
Made with sour cream, cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, rum extract
Serves/Makes: 3 cups
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6 ounces butter, softened
- 1 pound confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon rum extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy and soft. Meanwhile, sift confectioners sugar and then slowly add to beating mixture (keep mixer on low while you do this). Add extracts and sour cream until combined.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/rebecca-michaels/328-red-velvet-cake/