In article .com>,
"Lila3" > wrote:

> Does anyone have a recipe for red Velvet cake using Beets as well as
> being red? I have tried the ones with food coloring and they just taste
> like a regular buttermilk cake.

You can call any red-colored cake a "Red Velvet Cake" if you like, but
that (IMO) doesn't make it one. Beet juice is no substitute for a bottle
of red food coloring.

Did you frost your cake with the One True And Proper Icing (IMO) for Red
Velvet Cake? If not, that's probably why it didn't taste right.

Here's what I believe is the archetypical (and therefore the only
correct) recipe for that cake *and frosting*. Make it precisely by this
recipe at least once before you mess around with it; that way, at least
you'll have an idea what you should be working towards.

A friend of a friend of mine paid $250 for this recipe.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Waldorf Astoria Red Cake

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cups cake flour
5 tablespoons cocoa (1/4 C + 1 T)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Crisco (do NOT substitute)

2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (NOT imitation)
1 ounce red food coloring*
Frosting
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup butter (NOT margarine)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (NOT imitation)

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Sift three times -- both flours, cocoa, and salt.

In large bowl, cream sugar and Crisco. Add coloring, vanilla, and butter
flavor. Add eggs, one at a time, beating between additions. Add
buttermilk and flour mixture alternately; do not overmix. Fold in soda,
then fold in vinegar. *Immediately* pour into three, 8" layer pans**,
well greased and floured (loose bottom type works well).

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, or until done.

Frosting:

Melt 1/4 C butter; add flour, stir and cook until smooth but not at all
brown. Add cold milk all at once; cook, stirring constantly, until very
thick and smooth. Cool to room temperature.

Cream remaining butter (softened but NOT melted), sugar and vanilla in
mixer until very fluffy (about 15 minutes, until sugar is not grainy).
Add cooled flour mixture and blend well with spoon until consistency of
whipped cream. Frost layers.

Notes:

*"1 ounce" of red food coloring is not a typo; that's how much to use.

**We use 9" cake pans. In this case, baking time will be reduced by
about 5 minutes. This makes thinner layers, which is fine, but make 1
1/2 times the amount of frosting to be sure there is enough. There may
be some left over, depending on how thickly you like to frost cakes.

Do not use only cake flour, as the resulting layers will be too fragile.

Some versions of this cake use other kinds of frosting; DO NOT
SUBSTITUTE until you've tried this one; it is the best (and the only
authentic one).

To make the layers easier to remove from the pans, cut a round of waxed
paper to fit the bottom. Grease the pan bottom, place the waxed paper on
it, then grease and flour the entire inside as usual. Peel the paper off
after the layers are removed from the pans.


--

Isaac