Restaurants in Westford, MA, need delicious desserts as much as they need tasty entrees. At Shirley Sub Shoppe, we definitely have both. When you order a sub, pizza, pasta, or any of our many entrees, it’s nice to finish off your meal with a dessert. One of the dessert options on our menu is red velvet cake, a perennial favorite.
Red velvet cake is a dessert rich in both flavor and history. With its signature deep red hue and subtle cocoa taste, it’s become a beloved staple at bakeries and celebrations alike. But where did this iconic cake come from, and how has it changed over time?
Chemical Reactions and Color
Red velvet cake gets its name from the reddish color. Before food coloring, a chemical reaction gave the cake its signature color. Natural cocoa powder, which contains anthocyanins, reacts with acidic ingredients like buttermilk or vinegar, giving the cake a subtle red-brown color. Over time, bakers began using processed Dutch cocoa, which didn’t produce the same effect, leading to the introduction of artificial red coloring for a more dramatic appearance.
Spreading Throughout American Culture
Food coloring became more common around the time of the Great Depression. To stay in business, companies needed to find ways to convince customers to spend their limited household funds on their products. The Adams Extract Company in Texas pushed red velvet cake as a marketing tool to sell red food coloring and flavor extracts. Their marketing campaign included free recipes for a vibrant “red velvet cake,” which helped embed the dessert into American culture.
Frosting Evolution
In its earliest days, red velvet cake was often topped with a French-style butter roux frosting (also called ermine frosting), made by cooking flour and milk together before whipping it with butter and sugar. This gave the cake a silky, not-too-sweet finish. However, cream cheese frosting became the modern favorite by the 1960s, adding tang and richness that complemented the cake’s moist texture. Today, cream cheese frosting is the standard choice for red velvet cake.
Enjoy Dessert at Restaurants in Westford, MA
Red velvet cake is a classic dessert that has stayed popular for a reason. Its attractive red hue makes it as nice to look at as it is to eat. After all, we eat with our eyes first, so why not indulge in this beautifully presented dessert?