The 27th of January marks a rather special day on the UK culinary calendar: National Chocolate Cake Day.
Apart from your birthday, and perhaps your wedding day, there is no other day which gives you a better excuse to indulge in some chocolaty deliciousness. To mark this joyful occasion, we are celebrating one of the most decadent and dreamy cakes on the market: red velvet.
A chocolate cake with a ruby disguise, for many, this dessert ranks top in the guilty pleasures tier. A layer cake combining cocoa, cream cheese, buttermilk and icing topping, it’s truly a masterpiece of flavours and textures.
The origin of the red velvet cake is thought to be found in the southern states of America (its ingredients are a slight giveaway). Although not universally agreed, it is largely believed that the cake can be credited to a Mr. John Adams, owner of the Adams Extract Company based in Texas.
Adams thought he would be able to sell more of his food extracts, dyes and flavourings with point-of-sale posters and tear-off recipe cards which included his products. Thus the red velvet cake with food colouring was born.
Coined by cooks in the 1800s, velvet refers to the texture of a cake made using almond flour and cocoa or corn-starch which softens the protein in flour, and forms a particularity fine, velvety sponge.
The red velvet cake wasn’t always as favoured as it is today, with various chefs and bakers regarding it as a mere gimmick!
There was a significant increase in popularity for the distinctive treat. This was partly driven by a cameo in the 1989 American drama-comedy Steel Magnolias as an armadillo wedding cake, as well as the arrival of the renowned Magnolia Bakery in New York in 1996.
Join us at The Fizzy Tarté for a slice of buttery red velvet