Red Velvet History & Southern Tradition

 

Red Velvet takes Center Stage at Ms. Peaches, Los Angeles

Among the most classic of desserts is the decadent cream cheese frosted Red Velvet cake.  My grandmother used to make it from usually a Duncan Hines box but like a good southerner from Virginia, she added her own secret ingredients to the mix.  The cake stood high and grand.   

When we interviewed the Kentucky born model Molly Sims, she revealed that her mom not only makes red velvet cake from scratch but she has it flown by Fed Ex on dry ice to her.  Now, that’s a great mom (SEE MOLLY SIMS MOM’S RECIPE)– Crystal A. Johnson, MCCN Editor

History of Red Velvet Cake

A Red velvet cake is a rich, moist, sweet cake with a dark red, bright red or red-brown color. It is usually prepared as a layer cake somewhere between chocolate and vanilla in flavor, topped with a creamy white icing. Common ingredients are buttermilk, butter, flour, cocoa, and either beets or red food coloring. The amount of cocoa used varies in different recipes. A typical frosting is a butter roux (also known as a cooked flour frosting). Cream cheese or buttercream frostings are also used.  See Recipe

^{*While foods were rationed during World War II, bakers used boiled beets to enhance the color of their cakes. Boiled grated beets or beet baby food are found in some red velvet cake recipes, where they also serve to retain moisture.-(Wikepedia)}

^{See Video of  Model/Actress Molly Sims talking about her love for Red Velvet}