It's time to get serious

I know most of you are used to my blog being an in depth journey into the 5% of my brain that decides to work that day, but today we're going to delve into a topic that affects a larger portion of the population and what could be considered an epidemic; the fleecing of America, one Red Velvet cake at a time.

If you have been friends with me on Facebook for a while, then you have probably seen my opinions regarding my confusion surrounding the Red Velvet cake craze.  The popularity of Red Velvet cake has exploded in the past years and I have to bring logic into this discussion.  This leads me to ask...

WHY IS IT RED?!

It's not deliciously cherry, raspberry, strawberry or even cranberry flavored, so what's the point?  Why make it red?  Red just to be red is kind of like having meetings about meetings.  WHAT'S THE POINT?!

I went to my trusty recipe source, www.tasteofhome.com for a reconnoissance mission.  What I discovered is startling.  A search of the words "Red Velvet cake" resulted in 19 recipes.  In each recipe, the ingredient to make red velvet cake red was, in fact, red food coloring...a lot of it.  Even in "Grandma's Red Velvet Cake" recipe, the secret red ingredient wasn't a secret at all.  It was just food coloring.

I continued my mission, which led me to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_velvet_cake.  It explains that the red in Red Velvet cake originally came from an unlikely source: beet juice.  Foods were rationed during the depression so bakers came up with beet juice as an alternative to color the cakes and make it more moist (I had to add that word just for my friends that can't stand it).  Interesting.  So the red in red velvet cake did serve a purpose!  However, like most things, we've "modernized" it to make it look like it used to without it actually being what it used to be (wood veneer anyone?)

I know a lot of you may be thinking I have put way too much thought into this topic, and I assure you, I have. I am worried about the discrimination that is happening to the other variations of food coloring out there.  Are we missing out?  Could we have a rainbow of velvet cakes, but we've been so focused on red that we are literally seeing red through our rose colored glasses? I worry there is an entire market that remains untapped.  What about, dare I say it, Blue Velvet cake?!  I almost feel like Ted in "There's Something About Mary" when he dashes the hopes of the entrepreneurial hitchhiker turned murderer by suggesting someone may come out with 6 Minute Abs.  I know you all want tell me to step into your office cuz I'm effing fired, but hear me out!  Let's give the green, blue and yellow a chance!

So my baker friends, find your favorite Red Velvet cake recipe that doesn't require a cake mix, try a different color and report back.  What does it look like?  What happened?  Can we diversify our portfolio of colored cakes or must we discriminate with only red?

Thank you for taking the time to think about this troubling topic.  Alternate food colorings everywhere thank you.  The More You Know...

The Dana