Cake Question

[spicysaurus]

I was reading a Wikipedia article about red velvet cake, and it raised 2 questions for me. It says that red velvet cake and groom's cakes are Southern traditions in the US.

Do you guys outside of the states below the Mason-Dixon line lack groom's cakes and red velvet? Cuz if you do, man, I'm sure glad I live where I live.

[Magnet]

There is a cake shop/cafe right near my house that bakes all sorts of cakes, and one they had the other week was a red velvet cake, the first time I'd seen one here, but very very tasty.

[NecroJoe]

I've never been exactly sure...what is red velvet supposed to be? It's not cinnamon and it's not berry...

[brydiem]

Never heard of them in my life

[flydiscovery]

Originally Posted by NecroJoe

I've never been exactly sure...what is red velvet supposed to be? It's not cinnamon and it's not berry...

It's technically a form of chocolate. Modern cakes just add a boatload of red food coloring (which is why I've never had it), but traditionally it's a chemical modification of the cocoa with acid that makes the red color.

[2Billion]

Groom's cake? Red velvet? You've lost me.

[Nabster]

Originally Posted by flydiscovery

It's technically a form of chocolate. Modern cakes just add a boatload of red food coloring (which is why I've never had it), but traditionally it's a chemical modification of the cocoa with acid that makes the red color.

How modern are you talking? My grandmother's recipe is from the early-mid 70's and uses 2 bottles of red food coloring (and enough Crisco to clog the Mississippi River). That said, it has a distinctive taste, and no store or mass produced bakery red velvet I've ever had has tasted the same.

[flydiscovery]

Originally Posted by Nabster

How modern are you talking? My grandmother's recipe is from the early-mid 70's and uses 2 bottles of red food coloring (and enough Crisco to clog the Mississippi River). That said, it has a distinctive taste, and no store or mass produced bakery red velvet I've ever had has tasted the same.

Modern = since the invention of red food coloring so yeah about your grandmother's time. I'll bet if you asked her mother didn't use it.

[NecroJoe]

Every time I've had rec velvet cake I've enjoyed it...but never as much as a vanilla, lemon or chocolate cake.

Groom's cake, though...I'm from the rural midwest and I've been to a wedding in Georgia and I've never heard that one.

[phoenixsac]

There are a few places around here that sell Red Velvet cake. There's even a shop that sell Red Velvet cupcakes!

But Groom's Cake is new to me too. And I lived in Virginia for 4 years.

[spicysaurus]

The groom's cake is just the smaller, usually not-white cake the groom has at the wedding. The red velvet armadillo cake in Steel Magnolias was a groom's cake.

And since these things seem to be fairly peculiar to the South and maybe even just to Texas, like I said, I'm sooooooooo glad to live here. Anywhere with an unusual abundance of cake is a great place to be!

[Karoug]

The cake is a lie!

[jayhawk]

It is hard to find red velvet cake mix around here, so my wife, when she does see it, buys two or three boxes. It is damn tasty, too.

[Ladamaha]

Originally Posted by jayhawk

It is hard to find red velvet cake mix around here, so my wife, when she does see it, buys two or three boxes. It is damn tasty, too.

Cake mix, does not compute.

[Labcoatguy]

Originally Posted by spicysaurus

The groom's cake is just the smaller, usually not-white cake the groom has at the wedding. The red velvet armadillo cake in Steel Magnolias was a groom's cake.

And since these things seem to be fairly peculiar to the South and maybe even just to Texas, like I said, I'm sooooooooo glad to live here. Anywhere with an unusual abundance of cake is a great place to be!

The South and Texas can be pretty separate in many ways. I lived in Nashville for seven years and never heard about those things you're talking about, unless I ate them without knowing their names.

[Lupin_IV]

Originally Posted by Ladamaha

Cake mix, does not compute.

All of the dry ingredients for a cake premixed and packaged; it's pretty straight-forward.

[flydiscovery]

Originally Posted by spicysaurus

The groom's cake is just the smaller, usually not-white cake the groom has at the wedding. The red velvet armadillo cake in Steel Magnolias was a groom's cake.

And since these things seem to be fairly peculiar to the South and maybe even just to Texas, like I said, I'm sooooooooo glad to live here. Anywhere with an unusual abundance of cake is a great place to be!

Definitely not a Texas thing. I've seen grooms cakes at every wedding I've been to including but not limited to AL, VA, and MO. Red velvet doesn't appear to be a requirement, but it's almost always not-white cake. The most recent wedding I went to actually had a chocolate wedding cake with white frosting. YUMMY.

Originally Posted by Labcoatguy

The South and Texas can be pretty separate in many ways. I lived in Nashville for seven years and never heard about those things you're talking about, unless I ate them without knowing their names.

Right but did you go to any weddings there? Particularly a larger wedding of two southern raised folk? No offense but dudes aren't always extra observant of cakes ya know.

[Labcoatguy]

Originally Posted by flydiscovery

Right but did you go to any weddings there? Particularly a larger wedding of two southern raised folk? No offense but dudes aren't always extra observant of cakes ya know.

Hmm....nope. Fair point.

[racingfan1]

Red velvet cake FTMFW! Beats the shit out of any other cake.

[phoenixsac]

Originally Posted by spicysaurus

And since these things seem to be fairly peculiar to the South and maybe even just to Texas, like I said, I'm sooooooooo glad to live here.

I can think of many reasons to be glad to be living in Austin; red velvet cake, however, is pretty far down on the list.

Working for a large corporation based out of Dallas, talk comes up a lot about moving to Texas. And I am on record as saying Austin is the only city in Texas I could see myself living in. If it ever comes to pass, you'll find me at Stubb's with a sliced beef sandwich in one hand, a bottle of Shiner Bock in the other, listening to some of the best bands in the Lone Star State.

(Puts on asbestos jacket and waits for Crazyjeeper and Spectre)