30 Decadent Red Velvet Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cocoa powder for red velvet cake? ›

The Best Cocoa for Red Velvet Cake Is Natural Cocoa

Natural cocoa is the best cocoa for red velvet cake for two reasons. With a higher acidity, natural cocoa works with the cake's baking soda and buttermilk to leaven the cake to a tight, tender crumb. The results are an almost melt-in-your-mouth tender cake.

I highly recommend using AmeriColor products, because they are gel based, and will give the best saturation, with the least amount of product. If you want the exact color of my Red Velvet Cake, I use ½ teaspoon of Super Red AmeriColor gel, and ½ teaspoon of the same brand, in the color Crimson.

The trick to using our Red Velvet Color when baking cakes and cupcakes is to lower the pH. Some ways to do this is by substituting baking powder in place of baking soda, using a natural non-alkalized cocoa powder, adding more white vinegar or buttermilk to your red velvet recipe, to achieve a bright red color.

Although most red velvet cake recipes contain acidic ingredients such as buttermilk and cocoa, the addition of vinegar provides just a little extra acid to ensure the baking soda can do its best rising work.

The red food colouring makes the cake batter prone to splitting, and turns everything it touches red; a couple of grams over on the cocoa powder and the cake goes brown instead of a rich red; the cream cheese frosting has a tendency to turn to gloop at the very last minute for no apparent reason; and the list goes on.

Since you added cocoa powder to the cake mix, the cake could turn out dry unless you add some extra moisture.

A true red velvet cake gets its color from a chemical interaction between the cocoa, the baking powder, and the buttermilk. If your ingredients aren't fresh offer the acid balance is off, or you're using Dutch processed cocoa, it won't work properly.

Using naturally sweet beet puree is a fantastic healthy alternative to food dye that adds a vibrant red color to the cake. I've tested this many times and found the secret to making it work. The bright color comes from an acidic batter.

By substituting ingredients like water with buttermilk and adding elements such as extra eggs, vanilla extract, and instant pudding mix, you can significantly enhance the cake's flavor, moisture, and texture. Don't forget the magic of cream cheese frosting—it's the crowning glory of any red velvet cake.

Today, red velvet cake is made by combining cocoa powder, butter, sugar, eggs, and flour as well as buttermilk, vinegar, and red food coloring that gives the cake its iconic red tint. In a classic red velvet cake, cream cheese frosting is paired but the cake can be really be frosted with anything.

What filling goes well with red velvet cake? ›

Elevate your red velvet cake with these mouthwatering filling ideas. From cream cheese to raspberry, discover the perfect fillings to take your cake to the next level.

Unfortunately some red food colours have a bitter taste because of the ingredients used, particularly the colourant red #3 (E127). So it may help to check the ingredients of the red food colour or use a red food colour paste that is sold as "no taste".

Red velvet cake is also usually paired with white cream-cheese frosting. The white contrast highlights the lush red color, while the tanginess of the cream cheese plays off the buttermilk so well. We're so glad this cake has come back into favor over the last decade or so. It's always a showstopper!

If you don't want to use vinegar, you can substitute an equal amount of lemon juice. If you want to skip the acidic liquid altogether, you can substitute a tablespoon of baking powder for each teaspoon of baking soda. Then add water equal to the amount of vinegar you omitted.

We would suggest using a cocoa powder from a quality chocolate maker and there are several different ones around. Green & Black's is available in many countries and Valrhona is also widely distributed. In the US Ghiradelli is another good brand (sometimes this is sold as "baking cocoa").

While red velvet cake is technically a cocoa cake, there is a key difference between standard chocolate cake and red velvet cake. Chocolate cake recipes traditionally use Dutch-processed cocoa, while red velvet cake uses unprocessed cocoa, a more acidic ingredient that produces a deeper, more intense chocolate flavor.

Although all cocoa powders can vary in color from light reddish brown to a richer dark brown, the Dutch process gives the powder a noticeably darker hue. Dutch process cocoa has a smoother, more mellow flavor that's often associated with earthy, woodsy notes.

So what's the difference? The answer is in the heat. Cocoa powder and cacao powder are very similar, the only difference being that cocoa is processed at a much higher temperature (and often packaged cocoa contains added sugar and dairy).