Bubble Room's Red Velvet Cake Recipe

Wow.

Who knew that Red Velvet Cake would create such a paroxysm of childhood longing from so many people? And who knew that Gastronomie has so many readers who either grew up in, or spent summers in, or otherwise have some emotional attachment to the South?

Well, as promised to several of you, I've done some hunting, and have confirmed that the recipe for Bubble Room's Red Velvet Cake, as originally published in the Fort Myers Junior League Cookbook, is accurate.

So without further ado...

• 3 3/4 c. self-rising flour
• 2 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 2 1/4 c.  vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 c.  buttermilk
• 1/3 c. red food coloring (this is NOT a typo)
• 16 oz. cream cheese
• 1 1/2 c.  butter
• 2 lb powdered sugar
• 1 c.  chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Sift together dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add eggs, vinegar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and food coloring and mix well.
4. Spoon into three greased and floured 9" cake pans.
5. Bake 45-60 minutes or until layers pull away from the sides of the pans. (Check after 45 minutes, they will probably be done then).
6. After cooling 10 minutes (no more, I don't know why), remove the cakes to wire racks to cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and butter in mixer until fluffy.
8. Slowly add in powdered sugar and mix until fully incorporate and smooth. (Personally, I'd increase the pecans by a cup, and add them into the frosting here, but Bubble Room doesn't do that)
9. Layer the frosting between each layer of cake, and liberally over the top and sides. Top with chopped pecans.

*Recipe courtesy of the Fort Myers Junior League

Comments

[Moira]

1/3 CUP! It's a good thing you added "this is NOT a typo"! =) My husband was sitting next to me when your post came up and he said (channeling Homer Simpson), "Aaghammmm...red velvet cake". I said something about the amount of food colouring, and he said, "Who cares, Moi? It's red velvet cake!". He used to live in Florida, and apparently this was the dessert of choice at cookouts. I get the feeling that I'll be making this soon...thanks for the recipe!

[Fatemeh]

Right??? When I called them to confirm the recipe, I actually had to repeat it twice; in fact, the original recipe calls for 3 oz, which is actually a little more than 1/3 cup. I just, you know, rounded down.

I wonder what it is about Red Velvet and those Florida boys? ;-)

As for me, I don't think I'll be attempting this recipe anytime soon. I am a notorious klutz in the kitchen, and not looking particularly forward to replacing my floors and cabinets anytime soon.

Oh, by the way, I'm sure I don't have to warn you that there are, ahem, "after-effects" to ingesting that much food dye.

[Amy]

I'm equaly astonished by the amount of oil in that cake--2 1/4 cups! Yikes! I wonder what the cake would be like without the red food coloring. Probably sacrilegious but then again it's not like it's adding any flavor...

[Fatemeh]

Amy - I think C thinks of the cake as a "cream cheese frosting delivery system", but yes, I do think replacing the 1/3 c. of food dye with water or something else would be considered blasphemy!

[shuna]

Fatemeh---

I thought I should share this with you. It's extensive research on the cake at hand! A friend of mine sent this to me many months ago.

I was once obseesed with this cake and I thank you for writing about it!

Devil's Food Cake - Also know as Red Velvet Cake, Red Devil’s Cake, Waldorf Astoria Cake, and $100 Dollar Cake. A beautiful mild chocolate flavor cake that is startlingly red. The cake is traditionally complemented with a thick white frosting with different regions of the country using different types of frosting. The cake gets this bright red color from the large amount of red food dye used in the preparation. A light-textured chocolate layer-type cake with a deep reddish brown color. Devils food cake is usually thought of in terms of dark chocolate, but originally it was red. This was thought to be due to a chemical reaction between early varieties of cocoa and baking soda, which also gave the cake a soapy taste. Today cooks, using modern processed cocoa, sometimes add a touch of red food coloring to bring back the authentic color. This cake is particularly popular in New Orleans.

The term "deviled" for spicy foods dates back to the 18th century. This cake probably goes back in history and existed in the southern states where the cake was originally made from beets and cocoa.

1902 - Devil's food cake was the favorite dessert of the early 1900s. In 1902, the recipe first appeared in an American cookbook called Mrs. Rorer's New Cook Book by Sarah Tyson Rorer. By 1913, recipes began appearing in cookbooks across America.

1950s - Some people think that this cake originated in the 1950s at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The restaurant archives can’t produce any evidence or records of this, but because this version is so popular, the restaurant likes to take credit for it.

1940s - In the 1940s, a rumor was spread that a customer asked for a copy of the recipe and was given a bill in the amount of $100. According to the rumor, the angry customer, apparently with revenge in mind, then began circulating the recipe along with her story. As with most urban legends, they seem to have a life of their own, creeping through a society one person at a time.

1970s - In the 1970s, the cakes’ popularity faded when red dye was linked to cancer.

[teri]

F:

Do you think you could sub the food coloring for a dye made with beets (perhaps Ms. Spicetart would know?) or somethine else natural? I know that probably the oil and the sugar in this will kill you before the food coloring, but still, there's that ick factor with food coloring that cannot be overstated...

[Ryan]

mmm! yummers.

[Fatemeh]

Shuna, I know I can always count on you for yummy history!

Teri - If you could find a flavorless natural dye, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Though, I also think that most of the natural dyes are very pink or violet, and not truly red. I guess I figure that once a year won't kill me. I do try to be pretty careful about what I put into my body, so a slice or two of Red Velvet is probably OK.

Ryan - Yummers, indeed. :-)

[simon]

Yeah! Red Velvet Cake is awesome. Next time you are in New York, check out Make My Cake in Harlem. 110th Street @ Lenox Ave.

http://www.plateoftheday.com/92/

[chef 'em out]

Shuna, thanks for sharing that. I've only heard the $100.00 version in NYC.

[lauren]

do you know how many calories is in one serving of this red velvet cake?

[Victoria Richmond]

Thank you for the research. I am doing a paper for school and speech and I am going to talk about this cake. Thank you for all of the excellent information.

[Tammy]

What is with the use of cider vinegar?

is it just as good without?

My husband has had it and didn't care for it - maybe it was the tartness of cider. I'm thinking of making it without.

Would it then be too sweet?

[Kristina]

To anyone who has been to the bubble room on Captiva Island, does anyone know the recipe for cappachino chocolate cheesecake they make? THanks I'd love to have it!!

[Robyn]

I just baked this cake, and it was the most beautiful cake I have ever made, but I have to be honest, It tasted awful. I followed the recipe exactly but it still wasn't very appetizing. I was wondering if instead of vegetable oil it was supposed to be olive oil? I have no idea why it tasted so bad, but then on the other hand this is the first of this type of cake that I have ever tasted, so maybe it is supposed to taste that way....if anyone has any thoughts I'd appreciate it!

[Marsha Sucher]

When baking with Vinegar might I suggest that you use white vinegar. Cider vinegar is much too pungent and is better utilized in salad dressings marinades and some pickling recipes.

[Pamela Teigen]

This cake is wonderful but we also enjoyed the triple layer white cake with white chocolate frosting and I think that there was some almond Flavoring in it. Served with Raspberrys--very wonderful at the Bubble Room. Is it possible to get the receipe or do they ship? Prefer the recipe since we live in Aberdeen, SD. Thank you

[Angela W.]

I am looking for the recipe for Orange Crunch cake form the Bubble Room on Captiva Island. Ussually get it once a year, but was unable to go this year-It has bright orange frosting and between layers is brown sugar and slivered almonds I think.

the first time I made the red velvet cake it was very heavy. I wasn't sure if the 21/4 of oil did it because it seems like a lot of oil. So I didn't give up I tried it again and it was much better,much lighter{it took me 3 times to get it there).
what did I do wrong? I follow ther recipe step by step,recheck it over and over

[Henry]

I worked at the Bubble Room in college - there was one in Maitland, FL in the 90s - yes, I had to wear the dreaded scout uniform. Sadly, I'm not sure about the accuracy of the Red Velvet recipe posed here - the majority of the cakes started with a Duncan Hines mix, you may want to experiment with cake mixes too. As for the bubble bread - I'm searching for that recipe, I believe that it had blue cheese, parm & mayo...can't recall if there was garlic or not.

[toni]

http://www.indiatree.com/products/decorative/natures_colors/nc-dyes.html

Here is a link to natural colors.. I haven't tried them so I don't know if they would leave any taste behind in whatever you use them in. I wrote the company and am waiting for a reply :)