I'm not really familiar with Red Velvet cake. What should it taste like? I made a box mix and thought it was rather bland. I've looked at recipes for it and saw that it calls for a little cocoa powder but not so much that it would be "chocolatey".

I don't have the budget to make it from scratch. I was thinking of adding some chocolate pudding mix to the box mix and see if that breathes some new life into the flavor.

Any feedback on what it should taste like or how to dress up a box mix of it would be appreciated. Thanks.

yes it is hard to describe the flavor. mild chocolate, a bit tangy?

Years ago, my mother received a recipe from Pillsbury that uses a cake mix that is doctored slightly. Here's the link: http://www.pillsburybaking.com/mobile/2334.htm

Oh, and we always use cream cheese icing with our red velvet, so I've never had the icing that is on the recipe.

It's a buttermilk cake, so it has that twang to it. I could go for a piece right now.

what? red velvet has a taste?

could have fooled me!

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from what I've gathered a GOOD RV has a taste that hints at chocolate but with a tang.

sort of a lighter version of chocolate miracle whip cake.

I made the WASC recipe and instead of using white cake mix I used red velvet box mix..it was yummy. They have another post going right now about red velvet recipes and there have been a few comments about differant recipes

Thanks so much for your input guys!

I have never understood the attraction to red velvet cake. A TON of food coloring a joke of an hint of cocoa??? wassup with this stuff anyway??

I think it's all about the cream cheese icing......

I add White Chocolate pudding to the mix and it tastes pretty good - but yes, I think it is all about the cream cheese icing For some reason, people seem to think Red Velvet is more high class or something.

The only thing I could think of to describe the flavor of the last two RV cakes I have made and tried is it tastes a bit like cornbread. I have to say I tried it plain - no icing and based on that I won`t be rushing out to make it again. Now I do like cream cheese icing and I can see how they might go well together but I have so many other cake recipes that are yummy on thier own and also are amazing with cream cheese icing so I cannot see myself adding it to my list of must keep recipes. I hadn`t even heard of RV until the past year or so so it is all new to me on that one. LOL. It is hard to judge a cake flavor when you have no basis of comparison of what a good one is like.

Well.... the origin of RV was a chocolate cake made with cocoa powder but it was before dutch processed came along. So the chemical reaction of the "pure" cocoa with other acidic ingredients in the cake created a red hue. And traditionally, a boiled frosting was used. Cream cheese didn't come into favor until much later.

If you want to try a good recipe, look up the Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet.

Doug is right.... what taste....

While I will make one (scratch) when asked, I think they taste like NOTHING.

RV is about the look. The cake is really just there to hold up the icing.

I did one with cakeman ravens recipe and everyone loved it...it had creamcheese frosting and crushed walnuts stuck to the outside to dress it up...I personally didn't care for it though

I have to agree with kger and alleycat on their points.

While RV cake is a "love it or hate it" kind of flavor (and one I absolutely LOVE, btw!), I tried using CC icing, and it completely covered up the cake's unique flavor. Boiled icing is more mild, traditional, and it's my one-and-only icing I'll use with it now. No ifs, ands, or buts about it!

I always want to tried...

somebody has the Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Recipe????

It's in the recipe list on CC. And you can just google it.

Thanks

When I make my Red Velvet, it taste a little like a chocolate malt, but not quite chocolate. I use Dutch process or dark chocolate to up the chocolate flavor. Most recipes, when followed makes a cake that is almost bland in taste apart from the cream cheese icing. This is one cake when I make gives me repeat customers, even without the cream cheese icing.

Red Velvet has a distinctive/non distinctive taste. I liken it to a slightly tangy butter cake. It should not taste like chocolate, but it should have a very slight hint. Once you taste a good one, you won't forget the taste...you just will have a hard time describing it!

I must be sensitive to the food coloring taste, because that was all I tasted. It was chemically to me, but my family loved it.

In my opinion....living in the south...RV cake is so overrated. I especially think it is funny when people say they hate chocolate cake, but love red velvet. It's chocolate cake with red food coloring. Sure you can add some buttermilk...but scratch or box....it is chocolate cake with red food coloring. I personally do not like it..it reminds me of a greasy piece of corn bread! LOL

I have a question. Is it really necessary, maybe for flavoring, to add an entire bottle, sometimes 2 bottles of food coloring? Or is it just to deepen the color?

it really grosses me out the amount of red food coloring that goes into it. WHY can't it be a velvet cake (same flavor) NO RED.....but no oh no the people who love this thing also love the darned red food coloring. blah!