The History of Red Velvet Cake

The term “velvet cake” was first used during Victorian times to differentiate cakes with a soft, fluffy texture from denser offerings like pound cakes. During this time, cooks discovered that combining acidic ingredients like vinegar with cocoa would give the cake a slightly red hue. Mahogany cake, a lightly flavored chocolate cake made with cocoa powder, became quite popular and was named for its red-brown color. Devil’s food cake also became popular during this time and was famous for its dark hue. A recipe that essentially combined devil's food cake and mahogany cake was published in 1911. The new cake’s name? Velvet cocoa cake. The new cake became increasingly popular in the 1920s and 1930s, during which time it picked up an ingredient in recipes being made in the South — buttermilk. This addition amplified the cake’s acidity, creating an even redder hue that could be seen in Southern cakes but not in other versions. In the 1930s, the Waldorf-Astoria began serving red velvet cake. The hotel is frequently credited for creating the cake, although in reality it simply capitalized on the many home recipes that were already circulating. Around the same time, Eaton’s department store in Toronto began selling red velvet cake; the luxury store credited Lady Eaton as the creator. Some reports indicate that these northerly red velvet cakes lacked the vibrant red hue of the Southern versions until artificial red food coloring became available around the time of World War II. After trying red velvet cake at the Waldorf-Astoria, a Texan food dye manufacturer named John A. Adams created a recipe for the cake that used red food dye as well as vanilla extract and butter flavoring. At the time, cocoa, butter, and vanilla were all scarce due to rationing, so the recipe became a hit. (Previously, many cooks had been using beet juice or pureed beets to add red color to their cakes.) The recipe that used Adams’ food dye became mainstream due to his company’s marketing efforts and the cake gained national notoriety for the first time. Still, the cake’s popularity waxed and waned over time. Then in 1989, red velvet cake was featured in the movie Steel Magnolias and the cake became wildly popular. With the subsequent opening of Magnolia Bakery in New York City's West Village, red velvet cakes (and later, cupcakes) became sought-after treats. The cake flavor was especially popular throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Today, red velvet cake is still served at many bakeries and interestingly, many of these cakes are now made using beets for color as the demand for more natural food ingredients continues to grow.