The South has seen a lot positive changes over the past hundred years and it’s red velvet cake is no exception. You’ll find modern enrichments along with all of the traditional goodness in The New South’s Red Velvet Cake!

When red velvet cake was developed, a slight red hue formed in a baking reaction of the cake’s cocoa. The red tint, along with the cake’s soft crumb, led to the iconic dessert’s name. Now, this signature southern cake boasts a brilliant scarlet appearance thanks to the invention of red food coloring. I’m not generally a fan of food coloring, but I expect my red velvet cake to be brilliant! And this brilliant red delicacy is a perfect way to celebrate Christmas, Valentine’s day… or pretty much any dessert craving.

Lots of variations of red velvet cake recipes exist today. Recipes generally contain buttermilk, vinegar, and cocoa to get that smooth, slightly sweet and lightly tangy red velvet flavor. The cake’s mild flavor pairs with the stronger, sweet tang of cream cheese frosting like a match made in cake heaven! Yum! But before cream cheese and refrigeration were readily available, ermine was the choice frosting. Vanilla Ermine Frosting is a personal favorite, not-too-sweet frosting made of milk, flour, sugar, and butter. However, I find ermine’s optimal pairing is cake with a stronger stand alone flavor so it creates balance. Chocolate cake with ermine is another pair for the ages!

The New South’s Red Velvet Cake brims with all of the red velvet updates you’d expect today, along with the special addition of red wine for a pop of color and richness of flavor. Frost this scarlet gem with a billowy cloud of Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting, and you’ll have a party in your mouth that will make the old South jealous!

Pro Tips

• Red food coloring can get pricey. If you plan on baking red velvet cakes over and over or using red color for other baking projects, I recommend saving some dough by purchasing in bulk. This 16 ounce bottle of McCormick Red Food Coloring will cost about what 3 one ounce bottles will cost at the grocery store. You can do some serious red baking! And don’t worry, the red color will keep for a very long time in your pantry, even after it’s opened.
• Use whatever variety of red wine, sweet or dry, you have on hand. If you have wine stored in the refrigerator from last weekend (or Tuesday… no judgement here) that has developed that vinegar-y flavor not great for drinking, use it here! The hints of vinegar, although no longer yummy for sipping, will only accentuate this cake. MyRecipes shares a great post about how long different wines last, how to best store them, and why they aren’t harmful even beyond their primes.
• Do not overbeat. I repeat, do not overbeat! Everything should be mixed till smooth, but no more. Overmixing will cause your gluten to act out in crazy ways that could end in a gummy or tough cake.

Make the Cake

First, combine all dry ingredients on a low speed in an electric mixer. Make sure to fully combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt into a light tan colored powder. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the pockets of cocoa are combined.

In another bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and red food coloring. This is where things get a little Southern… gothic. This red goopy mixture might revive images of the infamous armadillo shaped red velvet groom’s cake of the movie, Steel Magnolias. But stick with me. It’ll be worth it. (Also, if you haven’t seen Steel Magnolias, please stop what you are doing and remedy that now. If you’ve already seen it, you’re probably thinking about how much you’d like to watch it again. But I digress.)

Slowly add the unsettling red mixture to your flour mixture and beat on low speed until fully combined. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the batter into a smooth mixture.

Finally, add the vinegar and red wine and beat just until smooth. Pour equal amounts of batter into three 9 inch prepared cake pans. (I prepare each pan ahead of time with a waxed paper round and then grease the bottom and inner sides.) Bake in a preheated oven at 300°F for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the baked cakes cool for a short while – maybe about 5 minutes. Working quickly, run a plastic knife around the edges of each cooked cake layer. Invert each cake onto a plate covered with a sheet of parchment paper. Peel the waxed paper from each cake. Immediately stack the layers, each with parchment underneath, and cover with a cake carrier lid to cool without losing moisture. Once cool, I recommend refrigerating the cake before frosting because cold layers are easiest to move and frost.

Complete this cake by mixing up a recipe of Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting and frost away! All that’s left to do is to cut yourself a nice, healthy slab of cake to eat while you enjoy another viewing of Steel Magnolias…