What makes red velvet so special? Cat's Cupcakery/Facebook

The INSIDER Summary:

There's more to red velvet cake than just the added food coloring.

Red velvet is made with cocoa powder, vinegar and buttermilk.

The chemical reaction between these ingredients help give the cake a deep maroon color that is often enhanced by extra food coloring.



As someone who has eaten their fair share of cakes and cupcakes, I've never known the difference between red velvet vs chocolate cake. I have always assumed that they were the same apart from the red food dye in the red velvet.

I love both types of cakes, but for different reasons. A red velvet cake, to me, is more special than a regular chocolate cake. It may be due to its unique color, or to the traditional (and scrumptious) cream cheese frosting on top. Even though I have indulged on both, I still don't know the difference between the two. Let's find out together.

What even is Red Velvet?

A chemical reaction helps create this cake's color. Shutterstock/sutsaiy

While some people think the Red Velvet comes from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in the 1920s, it is actually a product from the Great Depression. It was a marketing ploy from Adams Extract, a food coloring company.

Before this scheme, red velvet was made with cocoa powder, buttermilk and vinegar. It's the chemical reaction between the cocoa powder (which contains anthocyanin, a pH-sensitive antioxidant that reacts to acids) and the vinegar and buttermilk. This reaction makes the cake its famous red-tinted color.

Adams' purpose, however, was to sell more food coloring, so their recipe included a lot of red coloring. This transformed the traditional deep maroon color into the bright red that we know today.

Why is it Even Confused With Chocolate Cake?

Chocolate cake usually doesn't have red velvet's signature cream cheese frosting. Jonathan Boulton

Honestly, after writing this, I have no idea why chocolate cake has been confused with red velvet for so long. They are truly so different. From the ingredients to the texture to the frosting.

A traditional red velvet cake has cream cheese frosting, which is my favorite part of the dessert. This is compared to chocolate cakes, which can have any frosting you want (although traditionally with a chocolate ganache or frosting).

What Can I Do With Red Velvet?

Red velvet is super versatile. Erin {Delightful E Made} / Pinterest

Luckily for you, red velvet can be used in a variety of desserts or breakfasts. These red velvet pancakes actually use the classic vinegar and cocoa powder combination to create its color (along with a little bit of red coloring). These cinnamon rolls and cookies use the cake mix, but are still oh so good.

Now that you know the answer in the classic debate, red velvet vs chocolate cake, go out and make some amazing desserts. And don't forget to add some of that bomb cream cheese frosting.