Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake

ShareTweetPinYummly Jump to Recipe Print Recipe This is a dense, old school Red Velvet Cake with fluffy cooked vanilla frosting. This an old-style dense red velvet cake recipe. A rich chocolately cake is layered and topped with a fluffy vanilla-flavored frosting. If you need a cake for a special occasion – a birthday, Valentine’s Day, or a holiday – this red velvet cake recipe is for you. This cake is a rich blend of eggs, shortening, buttermilk, cocoa, flour, sugar, and vanilla made more colorful with red food coloring. The cooked frosting is an equally rich blend of shortening, flour, milk, butter, sugar, and vanilla. It is so much better than cream cheese frosting, which pales in comparison to the cooked frosting the Waldorf uses. I prefer cream cheese frosting on carrot cake. Table of Contents How Did Red Velvet Cakes First Come About? In the Victorian age, bakers learned how to soften the proteins in flour. They used ingredients such as cornstarch, cocoa, or almond flour, resulting in a smoother, more refined texture than other cakes. These softer cakes were called velvet cakes. The red color of velvet cakes did not come initially from food dyes. That’s because the original color was produced by a chemical reaction between cocoa powder, vinegar, and baking soda. At one time, the red color was much brighter because cocoa powder once contained anthocyanins, pigments responsible for the red colors found in foods like red cabbage and raspberries.  Today’s cocoa powder contains an alkalizing agent to neutralize acidity, affecting its color-changing properties. That’s why we have to fancy up our red velvet cake with a little extra makeup these days and add food dye to give it that extra pop.  The Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City claims that it is the red velvet cake’s birthplace, and indeed this red Waldorf cake has been a popular menu item there since the 1950s. However, historians argue that the red velvet cake originated in the southern US. You can read a lot more about the history of red velvet cakes by clicking here.Ingredients Here’s a list of what you need for the cake and frosting: ShorteningEggsRed food coloringButtermilkMilkButterVinegarBaking sodaSugarCocoa powderAll-purpose flourSaltVanilla extract How to Make Red Velvet Cake with Cooked Frosting Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring.Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add cocoa and food coloring mixture and mix well.Add buttermilk with vinegar and flour with salt alternately.By hand, fold in vanilla and baking soda. Pour batter evenly into three greased and floured cake pans.Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.Remove cake layers from the pans and cool completely.Cook flour and milk until thick.Beat shortening, butter, sugar, vanilla until creamy.Add milk and flour mixture a little at a time and beat well. Spread frosting on the cake, between each layer and on the sides.Favorite Cake Recipes Pistachio CakeAmbrosia CakeJello Poke Cake RecipeUltimate Red Velvet CheesecakeChocolate Pudding Cake RecipeCoca-Cola CakeOld Fashioned Carrot Cake Recipe with PineapplePound Cake Recipe with Cake MixItalian Lemon Cream CakeNorwegian Almond CakeMore Holiday Treats Recipes Williams Sonoma Peppermint BarkChocolate Covered Peanut Butter BallsDIY TrufflesBe sure to check out more of my easy cake recipes and the best restaurant copycat recipes right here on CopyKat.com! Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake Make the well-known Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake at home.  No cake mix needed.  5 from 3 votes Print Pin Rate Add to Collection Go to Collections Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanKeyword: Cake Recipes, Red Velvet, Red Velvet Cake Servings: 16 Calories: 384kcal Author: Stephanie Manley IngredientsCake ingredients1/2 cup shortening2 eggs2 ounces red food coloring1 cup buttermilk1 tablespoon vinegar1 teaspoon baking soda1 1/2 cups sugar3 tablespoons cocoa2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour3/4 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon vanillaFrosting ingredients3 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 cup milk 1/2 cup shortening1/2 cup butter1 cup sugar1 teaspoon vanilla InstructionsCake InstructionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees.Grease and flour 3 cake pans.Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring.Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add cocoa and food coloring mixture. Mix well.Add buttermilk with vinegar and flour with salt alternately.By hand, fold in vanilla and baking soda.Pour batter equally into cake pans.Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Remove cake layers from pans and cool completely.Frosting InstructionsCook flour and milk until thick.Beat shortening, margarine, sugar, vanilla until creamy. Add milk and flour mixture a little at a time and beat well.  NutritionCalories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 259mg | Potassium: 81mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1.1mg Tried this recipe?Mention @CopyKatRecipes or tag #CopyKatRecipes! ShareTweetPinYummly