OK... what is this cake supposed to taste like ??? Is there any demand for this flavor??? thanks

It depends on where you're at, whether or not there's a demand for it. I believe it's more popular in the south, and there are people out there who do some hard core debate about the type of icing that is right for it. I believe the debate is cream cheese frosting versus vanilla buttercream. The flavor of red velvet is a mild cocoa...sort of like a white cake mixed with a chocolate cake? I'm no expert on the subject--I'm from the northeast, and I prefer cream cheese frosting, which apparently is NOT the traditional choice. Hope somebody else can offer more help! lol

Dont know what everyone else's tastes like, but I use the recipe on here "Sarah's Red Velvet" and it has just a hint of chocolate when you eat it... and it actually does have a velvety texture to it... As for requests for it... i recently made it for a client who requested it for a mexican themed 21st bday... they wanted the extreme red for effect...

HTH

-- fi

I need to know too. My best friends husband's aunt was a pastery chef and she use to make it for him. I think she did it as there wedding cake. She has passed away and he has not had it since his wedding almost 17 years ago. I want to make him one, but I have never had it. To top it off, he ate it made by a professional. Can you help me too???

I use my MawMaw's (yes I am southern!) recipe... it is WONDERFUL and expcept for starting with a butter cake mix, it is all scratch. To me a RV is VERRRYYYYY moist if made correctly and almost melts in your mouth, It has a hint of chocolate flavor, but other than that I can't describe it.... Most people place Cream Cheese icing on it and put shaved, or chopped pecans on that... it is YUMMY... a proper one, southern style is made with buttermilk!

My buddy told me a properly made RV is expensive. What goes in it that is expensive? I have been researching this on the internet and did not find expensive ingredients in it.

My buddy told me a properly made RV is expensive. What goes in it that is expensive? I have been researching this on the internet and did not find expensive ingredients in it.

I don't see why they would be expensive. There are RV cake mixes, although they aren't available in all areas. I find them in Wal-Mart here, though. A lot of people say that the RV cake mixes have a much more chemical taste because of the dark red color, but I haven't noticed a more chemical taste with that than with any other cake mix.

red velvet tastes 'red' to me. ha ha. i made it for christmas last year and told dh it tasted red and he laughed at me. then when we ate it for dessert, my cousin said 'ong, this cake tastes red!' i told him so! lol

i make sarah's red velvet cake and her mary kay frosting and it is awesome! i have gotten a few requests for it (in new england, no less!)

I've never tasted it and never heard of it except for people on this website. I'm from the northeast. From what I gather, it's the color that is the big attraction, not necessarily the flavor.

To me it has a light chocolatey flavor and I love it with the Waldorf Astoria icing that is similar to the Mary Kay Icing that Sarah posted on this board.

I use Sarah's Red Velvet recipe.....however...being a southern girl ...here we must have our cream cheese frosting with nuts on ours

Note: This is the best recipe that I have ever used for RV!!

I think Red Velvet cakes are like a little bit of heaven here on earth...I LOVE LOVE LOVE red velvet...

southern girl here, and red velvet cake is a tradition at holidays and even pretty popular for wedding requests
yes it is red in color... a traditional recipe calls for a whole ounce bottle of coloring, but really that leads little to the flavor....
This is a traditional recipe list for the cake :
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Crushed pecans, for garnish

it does have a light cocoa taste...its rich and very creamy tasting especially with the proper frosting, which IS NOT buttercream
and believe me, I love buttercream....but this IS a southern thang...lol
I have decorated some with buttercream for wedding showers and birthdays but i always do a cream cheese filling with pecans or ground pecans on the side somehow.
Anyway, here is a pic of one of mine from valentines...always a big seller then...with my crusting cream cheese frosting ... hope this helps some questions!

Also a southerner here... I'll agree with all the other posts about the flavor, but I can tell you how to tell if a red velvet cake is any good just by looking at it: the color! If it's pink, or even reddish, then it's no good. You're looking for dark red to burgundy. The reason this works is that a bottle of red food coloring will turn any old cake recipe pink to red - it's the cocoa in red velvet in combination with the food coloring that turns it dark red to burgundy. If it's too light, you don't have enough chocolate!

I had red velvet cake a long time ago and could not remember what it tasted like. I recieved a request for red velvet this past Xmas and I used Sarah's recipe on CC. Since I really didn't know what it should taste like, I brought a sample to work and let a few people taste it. They thought it was very good. I used cream cheese frosting with it.

hey southrnhearts could you also post your crusting cream cheese icing recipe?

I just had a red velvet cake request today and would love the icing recipe also.

I would not make one from a box. This is one you have to do from scratch!!
Box....YUCK!

I made a RV for a customer today. Just don't think there is enough icing to go on the outside AND use as a filling. I am using the Sarah's RV recipe found on this site. Would it be wrong to have a cream cheese filling and the Mary Kay Icing on the outside?

Never mind my last question, found out I don't have any cream cheese in the house. Guess i will be making an extra batch of the MK Icing.

Lots of people love RV cake. To me, it doesn't have a lot of taste to it. Maybe I just haven't had the right one yet

Here in the south----we LOVE red velvet cakes----I don't think ANYONE can get through Christmas season without one!! It is made through the year--but mostly Christmas time! Expensive--but well worth it--if made right!!(good recipe!) Every one loves mine!! I use cream cheese frosting! Never a complaint and return buyers!!!

I didn't think about this before, but yeah, you should double most cream cheese recipes to get enough to fill and ice. You'll have some left over, but I think we'll all get over that tragedy and find something to do with the extra!

Not only is it good for Christmas - but it's the PERFECT color for Gamecock cakes! Did one this weekend that had one layer of red velvet and one layer of chocolate fudge cake. It was perfect. ((I must reluctantly admit that it might work for UGA as well)).

Here is a little warning with regard to red velvet cakes. Never, ever use Dutch Processed Cocoa powder. I made this mistake once and there was some sort of chemical reaction. The cake tasted like sweet cornbread.

It was good...but iced sweet cornbread... That ain't right!

*giggle*

For my cream cheese frosting recipe, I use 2 blocks of softened cream cheese, 1/2 stick of butter, butter and almond flavorings to taste, and a 2 lb bag of powdered sugar... Im not sure how much water I add, I just do it til it looks right. Keep in mind this takes a little longer to crust than a normal buttercream recipe, but I've used it forever and it crusts just fine... HTH

I use a recipe similar to the one posted above, and everyone who's tried it has loved it, even DH, who hates cake. It's very moist and has a very different taste than any of my other cakes. It has buttermilk, vinegar, a bottle of red color, and the 2 ts of cocoa. It's very, very red, and not expensive at all to make (?). I've got two weddings ordered with it for this year, and I'm way up north, so it's not super popular...

I had a bride tell me, when she sampled mine, that she was putting it to the "grandma test"--she has a southern grandma who makes her RV for her birthday every year. I was a bit nervous, like, "Hey, don't do that, that's not fair." She took a bite and paused....and said..."Oh! Grandma is SO fired."

For weddings I have frosted mine with my standard imbc but fill it with a cream cheese or cheesecake flavored filling.

Red Velvet is my favorite! I have a question though. What does the vinegar do for the recipe?

Never mind....I found the answer.