From Riches to Rad: The History of Red Velvet

By: Toby Kuhnke, Editor, TheBestDessertRecipes.com

From Riches to Rad The History of Red Velvet

By: Toby Kuhnke, Editor, TheBestDessertRecipes.com

Red velvet has solidified its place in the pantheon of desserts for a number of reasons but probably most notably because of its stunning color. But the History of Red Velvet is not what it seems. Its story begins in a fancy hotel for the elite in Midtown Manhattan and ends as a cornerstone of the typical American dessert table.

Velvet cakes are an old phenomenon, but in the long and sweet history of desserts, red velvet is new in town. And it’s here to stay. The vibrant red color captured our imaginations and our taste buds like no other dessert could, and the signature soft texture brought a modern twist to mahogany cakes.

The popular myth that the color comes from the chemical reaction of the chocolate and baking soda is untrue; it actually comes from some red food coloring, but as more bakers reject artificial coloring and extracts in favor of more natural ingredients, the red velvet cake has survived. Some even use beets in their cake to give it that color. (Don’t knock it until you try it!)

Whether you’ve been eating red velvet since it was popularized by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City or you caught onto this flavor fad during its boom in popularity in the early 2000s, there’s no denying that red velvet is as bright as it is delicious!

The History of Red Velvet

1800s: Velvet cakes became all the rage around this time. They were often made with cocoa powder or almond flour give them a distinctly soft texture -- almost like velvet.
Late 1800s: Chefs and bakers who were experimenting with velvet cakes created a new type of cake: the mahogany cake. With the addition of buttermilk, coffee, and a little bit of vinegar, this rich chocolate cake is the missing link between velvet and red velvet.
1920s-30s: The famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Midtown Manhattan began serving its equally famous Waldorf-Astoria cake in its restaurants and bars. Because this hotel was so popular among New York’s elite, the cake (which would later be called red velvet) became the delicacy of the upper class.
1940s: Around this time, the Adam’s Extract company modified a recipe for mahogany cake and printed it on the backs of bottles of vanilla extract and red food dye. This helped popularize red velvet cake and solidify its place as a staple of American desserts, particularly in the South. Around this time, the first recipes for cream cheese frosting came about, and the two flavors were a match made in velvet heaven.
2000s: Several decades after red velvet first became popular, this unique and colorful flavor combination found its way into the kitchens of hipsters and foodies everywhere. This food trend was not short lived, and the result was a deluge of red velvet flavored everything.