In the pantheon of food-related shark jumps, red velvet cake body mist may well be the greatest leap of all.

Red velvet cake, once a reasonably tender, softly flavored culinary gimmick, has become a national commercial obsession, its cocoa undertones and cream-cheese tang recreated in chemical flavor laboratories and infused into all manner of places cake should not exist.

One can buy a red velvet scented candle, red velvet protein powder, red velvet air fresheners and red velvet vodka.

Even in the world of actual food, red velvet has taken over like so much kudzu.

In San Francisco, where one presumes people know better, the American Cupcake bar and bakery offers chicken that has been soaked in red velvet cake batter, rolled in toasted red velvet cupcake crumbs and fried. The dish comes with garlic- and cream-cheese mashed potatoes and cocoa-infused slaw.