Do you like red velvet cake and do you care that it has red dye in it to make it red?

No, I don’t like it. And I don’t care about red dye.

But not because it is made from bugs

Not concerned that the dye is red. It could be blue velvet cake and I would ask the same question.

I don’t like red velvet cake either.

In theory and very very rare practice, I’ve liked it.

Your question makes me wonder what’s in the dye.

The deep red definitely has an intriguing visual appeal.

Reflecting, I am not sure how much of the appeal has to do with having eaten it, as opposed to directly from the deep red color. I can’t quite imagine it without the red color – what tone would it be?

I’d like to try some without the food coloring, out of curiosity, and because thinking about it now makes me feel like I want cake.

I think the red color is definitely a big part of the draw. Eating is an experience that involves most (all?) of the senses.

I’ve also been put off by food that I really liked, that was dyed deep unusual colors.

I love Red Velvet Cake & I don’t worry about the red dye!!! Actually, red dye is not required to make the cake red. My Mom made it without the dye my entire life. The link explains in greater detail how you can get red cake without using red dye & it explains it better than I can.

@LadyMarissa What color is it without the dye?

(Hmm… now that you wrote that, I’m having deja vu about my mom having made it once without the dye, and it being sort of yellow/beige or something. Now I need to call my mom and ask her if I’m making that up or not.)

I’ve just used beet juice.

So many people go on and on about red velvet cake and I just don’t see it. It has cocoa powder in it but I cannot taste any chocolate flavor. I do, however, like the frosting.

I think blue velvet cake would be awesome!

@smudges I don’t taste the chocolate either, and my mom complains that “it isn’t chocolate” but what she means is it isn’t a rich chocolate cake, because it does have cocoa in it.

@canidmajor That is one of the traditional ways to get the red color, but the commercials cakes and a lot of the red velvet made even in local bakeries use the dye.

@Zaku I would assume it is a shade of brown from the cocoa, but I really don’t know, that is a good question. I personally am not concerned with what is in the dye. Red dye is used for plenty of things. Red M&M’s. red icing, red gummies, red medicine tablets, and probably anything purple, pink, or orange is using red also. Maybe M&M’s could be without dye too? Not a bad idea maybe.

Meh. I don’t dislike it, but I’m not too interested in a cake whose defining feature is red food coloring. I’d be more interested in traditional red velvet that gets its color from the anthocyanins in the cocoa. As it is, it’s not going to be my top choice for cake.

I don’t particularly like it. I’ll eat it if it’s a birthday or something and that’s what they have, but if I was choosing the cake, it wouldn’t be my choice at all. It’s not necessarily the dye, it’s the flavor. I don’t see the appeal of it. I know some people love it.

I’m indifferent. I don’t dislike it. If I’m served a piece, I’ll eat it without objection, but I’d never seek it out or order it if there were other options. I try to avoid sweets in general to limit unnecessary calories, so if I’m going to eat sweets, I usually want to get my “caloric money’s worth.” Red Velvet doesn’t really make the cut in that regard. That said, I’m not going to be a social wet blanket and be the person who refuse to eat a slice of birthday cake or whatever and make Chloe feel bad on her special day at the office.

It’s the cream cheese icing I love! I rarely eat cake.

What is the obsession with naming cakes after colours, and not what they actually taste like?
Apparently “red velvet” just tastes like vanilla and maybe cocoa if you are lucky, and not what it should actually taste like, if you go by its primary colour, which should be cherry or strawberry, or maybe even blood orange.
The cake is literally a lie.

@Zaku the colour comes when unprocessed cocoa reacts with the other ingredients to turn red. Its not quite as red as when you dye it, but it is noticeably red.

Not a fan because of it’s dryness.

^^ Like with any cake, if it’s made and baked properly it won’t be dry.

Similar to @gorillapaws. Don’t dislike it, but wouldn’t order it either.

Though I also agree with @Zaku that you eat with all of your senses and changing the color would affect your experience of red velvet cake.

That said, there’s so much stuff I’d prefer to have with less coloring.

Have you noticed that many of our European counterparts are less fluorescent than the stuff we get in the states? What’s up with that?

Haribo gummy bears from Germany are colored with fruit and vegetable juice. While the same Haribo gummy bears in the states uses food coloring. Blergh.

@smudges agreed, but for some reason many bakers overbake or overmix Red Velvet.

I read over several red velvet recipes. They look to me to be one tablespoon short on cocoa powder compared to a typical chocolate cake, which is a lot. The recipes also tend to have extra vanilla compared to many of my cake recipes.

Here is a recipe without the red. The photo looks like chocolate cake. https://unpeeledjournal.com/not-red-velvet-layer-cake-recipe/

Both my husband and I think the cake tastes like nothing. We say the same about provolone cheese.

You can use beet juice for the red coloring.