The world is obsessed with cakes, and this is for sure. Cakes have become an inseparable part of every single celebration nowadays. Cakes are on the list of famous desserts in the world. While some love simple chocolate cake, some just can't say no to a decent honey cake. For those who don’t know, cake dates back to somewhere around the 13th century. Well, talking about the cake varieties, there is one type that has quite a fan base across the globe. It is a fancy and classic red velvet cake which is a global favourite. But how was this red beauty created?
Hundreds of years ago, cakes were considered a sweet bread type and as the time passed, people started to put nuts and dried fruits in the recipes. This changed the texture of cakes to rough and abrasive. Around 500 years later, as per some food experts, bakers started to work on making these desserts look good and appealing. They started experimenting with the recipes and breaking down the flour to make the cake not just tastier but softer.
The red velvet beauty is believed to have been created somewhere around 1800s. It was the Victorian Era when the demand for luxury cakes with cocoa started to rise. The cakes were started to be called ‘velvet’ because of being served at fancy parties. The word ‘velvet’ would help the guests understand that the cake is smoother and softer. With the usage of cocoa, the coarse flour would break down and become softer and velvety. Talking about the bright red colour, some believe that the colour comes from a chemical reaction. Yes, some believe that it is the chemical reaction between acid and cocoa which lends the pretty red colour. Interesting, isn’t it?
Image: Red Velvet Cake
The exact origin of the cake is shrouded with different controversies. Some legends believe that by the 1900s, ‘velvet’ cakes with cocoa were in high demand. Somewhere around 1943, ‘The Joy of Cooking’, a famous cookbook, featured the red velvet cake. Another legend connects the cake’s origin with WWII. It states that during WWII, soldiers had ingredients like butter and sugar in their ration. Back then, some bakers used beet juice in the cakes which led to the birth of red velvet cakes. The beet juice not only gave a bright pretty colour to the cake but also made it softer.
There are so many theories related to the birth of this cake. If some sources are to be believed, the Adams Extract company claims that they are the reason why red velvet cakes exist. The Adams company made a huge amount of money just by selling red food coloring to make the cake. Not just this, even the Waldorf Astoria Hotel claims to create the cake. Well, no wonder how this pretty, fancy and classic cake was created, it is always going to be the heartthrob for many.