Red Velvet Cake--what a scam! Nope--it wasn't invented at
the Waldorf-Astoria. In fact, it is a Southern concoction.
It dates back to at least 1873. In Southern cookbooks of
that time, the term velvet was used to describe a cake with a fine, even
texture or "crumb." There were Chocolate Velvet cakes, Silver Velvet,
etc.
Then came the Great Depression, and an entrepreneur named
John A. Adams. His family had owned a food coloring and flavor extracts
business since 1888, but was hit hard by the economy. Mr. Adams set up displays
throughout the South and Midwest in grocery stores. Under a banner featuring
the reddest of Red Velvet cakes, the offer of a free recipe for Red Velvet cake
was given away free with every purchase.
The recipe included Adams Best Vanilla, Adams Butter Flavor
and TWO bottles of Adams Red Color. It
became a sensation!
Which is why I laugh at the very idea of a Red Velvet Cake
as a delicacy. Whether it is vanilla, or has a touch of chocolate in its
flavor, basically the cake is a butter cake with a huge addition of red petrochemical
dye.
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