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red velvet cake. all natural. no red dye.
This cake ended up being a science experiment.
I wanted to make a red velvet cake without any red food coloring. Though I can handle a little food coloring here and there, the idea of putting in such large amounts into a homemade cake . . . well, I just couldn’t do it. I mean, why would I want to eat a cake that is red for no reason, other than the fact that someone calls it red?
In my research, and the research of my sister (who actually inspired my making this cake after she had made an attempt at something similar), we discovered a number of people in the blogosphere that get quite uppity about what a red velvet cake is and isn’t. I won’t get into that. But I will say that many of these red velvet soap boxers were suggesting the color should come from beets.
So I started there.
My first attempt was brownish purplish. My daughter called it the Purple Satin Cake. It tasted good, so good in fact, that when I stood there, holding the last piece, thinking that I should snap a picture for the blog to show what it looked like, my will power buckled, and into my mouth it went. But it was still brownish purplish.
I spent the next few days reading other blogs and websites. Amy, from BakeCakery*, had a recipe that was a great starting point. From her post, I could see that it could be done. Then, with the help of her descriptions, beet cooking methods, and links to other bloggers, I was able to piece together the science I needed to get a red cake. Oh, and by the way, if you haven’t seen her blog yet, she is extremely talented you should definitely take a look.. She has this tres leches cake that will amaze you.
Amy directed me over to bittersweetblog, where the writer painstakingly experimented with the pH levels in the cake, and how it affects color.
Armed with that knowledge, and before I dove in and wasted another couple pounds of ingredients, I put a small amount of beet puree into two small cups. Then I added different ingredients to each, to see if they would keep the color pink, or turn it purple. Once it turns purple, you see, you will be making the lovely Purple Satin Cake, instead. Which, sadly is more brown than purple.
The goal was to keep the pH as acidic as possible, with no additions of anything alkaline. So baking soda is obviously out. Anyone who has ever helped their kid with a model of a volcano for the science fair knows what I’m talking about. And then Dutch Process or Dark Cocoa powder is out, too. Apparently, chocolate is sometimes processed with alkali to make it smoother, so don’t add regular chocolate or melted chocolate chips, either. To achieve the chocolate taste, you can really only use natural cocoa powder. It’s easy enough to find, though. Hershey’s cocoa powder—as long as it’s not the Special Dark variety—works perfectly. (In the pictures, I used only two tablespoons of the cocoa powder, which kept things very red. If I were to make it again, though, I’d probably add as much as 4 tablespoons.)
Working with this knowledge, I took out my trusty old cream cheese pound cake recipe to use as a base, and created this cake. It’s moist, but dense, smooth, and has the exact crumb I was looking for. My kids loved it, even after I told them it was made with beets. They didn’t care. This cake was all they talked about for days. They wanted it after school, for breakfast, and dessert.
While I was frosting this, I kept thinking of Rosie and her blog Sweetapolita. Oh my goodness is that girl talented! And she has a beautiful family, and she’s an excellent photographer. She’s is the Queen of Cakes. Here are some of my favorite posts:
Her asparagus cake. Crazy beautiful.
This chocolate bundt cake is so stunning.
And her latest is a buttermilk cake with fudge frosting.
So if you’ve never seen her blog, make sure you go take a look.
For good measure, and based on Amy’s suggestion, I used quite a bit of lemon juice just to keep things as bright as possible. So keep these things in mind when you make your cake. Keep the acidity high, and the pH numbers low!!
*Earlier, I had said that Amy’s blog was called CakeBakery, when it is actually BakeCakery. Sorry, Amy! And sorry for any confusion!
all natural red velvet cake
2 large beets (enough for 1 1/2 cups puree)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, but not quite room temperature
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened slightly
2 1/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons natural (not dark or dutch processed) cocoa powder*
cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (165 degrees celsius). Place beets in a small baking dish and add a 1/2 cup of water. Cover with parchment paper and foil, and roast until quite tender, about 60-90 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
2. Butter 3 8 inch cake pans. Cut out parchment paper circles and place in the bottoms of the pans. Butter the parchment paper and dust with flour. Set aside. Peel the beets and cut into large chunks. Place in a food processor (or a very good blender) with the lemon juice, and pulse until smooth and pureed.** Stir in the vinegar.
3. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese. Pour in sugar and mix until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well until each is incorporated. Mix in vanilla.
4. While ingredients are mixing, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder in a separate bowl. Slowly add flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the beet puree mixture, and fold into the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Tap pans on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Invert cakes onto cooling racks, and allow to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until ready to frost.
*Some people have commented and said that their cake has turned out maroon in color, instead of the red like the picture. I just tested the recipe again, to see if I could recreate what happened. It could be the cocoa. In the photographs, I used only 2 tablespoons of cocoa because the red color was my main objective, not the chocolate flavor. So, if you’re more concerned about the color than the chocolate flavor, then just use 2 tablespoons of cocoa instead of the 1/4 cup.
**The other thing I discovered while testing it today, is that I didn’t make my puree as fine. In the pictures from last time, you can see that the texture of the beet puree is very smooth, almost like baby food. I think that may have affected the color. Each tiny piece of beet adds to the color, and if there’s more surface area surrounding each teeny tiny piece, then you’ll get a stronger red. I think.
cream cheese frosting
2 packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Switch to the whisk attachment, and mix until smooth and slightly fluffy.
499 Responses to “red velvet cake. all natural. no red dye.”
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Jaime,
I tried baking this reciepie, I used boiled beats and pureed them, it was little watery.
I used buttermilk instead of cream cheese, the water content was a little high I think.It was more like diluted curd which was very sour. My baking went on for an hour but the cake did not rise at all.. it was not hard- but was soft – the texture looked like taht of a jelly with no pores. Could you let me know the reason?
I am going to make another try. My son liked it very much (2.5 years old) and is asking me more. I dont mind giving him as much as he need as it is a very healthy meal
Thanks,
Priya
Priya—Perhaps your baking powder was old. When was the last time you bought a new container of baking powder?
Oh thanks Jaime! I had not closed the baking powder container tightly.. I got it 6 months back.
May be I should tray again with a new packet.
Thank you so much for the response. I will try again and let you know.
I’m planning on making this cake over the weekend. Can I devide the recipe and only make half of it? I only have 3 little beets and I don’t think they would make 1.5 cups.
Thanks!
Hi, Camille! Sorry I didn’t write sooner, but I think the recipe would work if you cut it in half.
I’ve been looking for an all natural red velvet cupcake recipe for a school project.
Does this recipe translate well into cupcake form?
Taylor—yes, it does. But I also have this recipe: http://www.sophistimom.com/all-natural-red-velvet-cupcakes–Pretty much the only difference is that it uses buttermilk instead of cream cheese.
Thanks! Going to be trying out this recipe this weekend.
Im looking forward to trying this recipe. Red Velvet is one of my favorite cakes!
The link you shared with “Taylor” for the red velvet cupcakes, is not working. Could you trying sharing that recipe again?
Thanks so much!
Does it work for higher élévation(4500feet)
Is there any way I can use this recipe for cookies?
Aside from the color, does anyone have any feedback on the taste? Before I try them I’d like to be sure the lemon and vinegar aren’t going to come through in the flavor?
Aside from the color, does anyone have any feedback on the taste? Before I try them I’d like to be sure the lemon and vinegar aren’t going to come through in the flavor?
My daughter is severly allergic to red dye. this will be great!! Thanks
Kamber–I’m so happy you found this, then! Good luck!
Jill–most people have liked the flavor, but the occasional reader has said they can taste the beets. It’s a lot of comments to look through, but I would definitely say more people have said they couldn’t taste the beets. I guess it just depends on how sensitive you are. Best of luck.
I don’t know, Priscilla. We’ve never tried it. It might be good to start with a whoopie pie.
Lisa–I made these in a kitchen at the very same elevation, so it should work just fine.
Bernadette—Does this work?
http://www.sophistimom.com/all-natural-red-velvet-cupcakes/
Thanks, Taylor! I hope it works out well for you!
you are a genious sophistamom! this cake os going to be freakin awesome! it’s only in the ove now, but i can tell. i’m baking it for my friends birthday. ;~)
Hello,
Awesome recipe. My sister wants a “pink” red velvet for her wedding. Would I just use less beets? I was also thinking of using white chocolate, thinking that might help making it brighter. What are your thoughts
Thank you, Sue! How did the cake turn out?
Allen—What a great idea. I think going with fewer beets would definitely work. Also, you might want to switch the eggs to just egg whites. The ratio would be two egg whites to each one egg. With all the beets you normally add, it counter acts the yellow in the yolks. Since you’re going less red, be sure to take away the yellow.
But then with the white chocolate, you’ll definitely have to tread cautiously, since every kind is made differently. I would do a test batter like I did in the post. I took a small amount of beet puree and placed it in a bowl, and then just started adding stuff to it—cream cheese, sour cream, cocoa powder, melted chocolate chips, etc. If the concoction in the little dish stayed bright pink, I knew whatever the ingredient I just added was safe. If the mixture turned even the slightest bit off color—the tiniest bit purple, or the slightest bit blueish or less pink, I knew it was going to turn the cake brown. So, if you’re experimenting with white chocolate, melt some up and add it to a little test bowl like I did. Let us know how it goes.
Hi Jamie,
Found your recipe via Google and absolutely love it! I’m attempting to make it for the first time this coming weekend (for a friend’s birthday) and have a question. Is it okay to omit the chocolate powder entirely and replace with flour? How would that change the flavour profile?
Chris—Yes, I think replacing the cocoa powder would be fine. The cake wouldn’t have as deep a flavor, and you might taste the beets a little more, but it’s worth a try. I think other readers have left it out, and had success. Thanks for your question.
Hi. You’re recipe looks great but I don’t like to use baking powder or baking soda for health reasons. Do you have any suggestions for a replacement?
[...] ich auch schon immer einen backen. Einen natürlichen mit Rote Beete, aber dennoch knackig rot. Dieses Rezept klang vielversprechend. Das Resultat eher nicht. Es haperte an den inneren Werten. Nicht [...]
Good to see “real” red velvet cake. The real thing is supposed to be made using beets, which contribute to the cake’s sweetness.
Thanks, Estelle!
Megan—Hmm. Maybe you could try separating the eggs—mixing the yolks in with the main batter, and then whipping the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Then you could fold the two together. That might help leaven the cake. I don’t know how a natural leavening—like a levain or a sourdough starter would work with the color, but it’s worth a shot too. Let us know if you have any success. Also, since the eggs might not be as strong a leavening as you need, so I might swap out the cream cheese and replace it with 8 ounces of buttermilk.
Can i use an already cooked beets instead of cooking the beets ???
hi Jaime, i’ve tried your recipe today.
at first, my batter looks red (with a slight of magenta color). but when i baked the batter, it turns reddish brown, but more of a deep brown color. any idea why?
i used 4 tablespoons of natural cocoa powder, by the way.
This is very interesting and I am excited to try it. Have you ever used canned beets from the store? (I know fresh is the best!) If you have used canned beets, how many cans? I can’t wait to try this!
Thank you so much for sharing it.
Varena—If the batter looks red, things already aren’t going well. It needs to be a bright fuchsia. What brands of everything did you use? How did you cook your beets?
Kristy and Elishab—Anyone who has tried using canned beets has ended up with a brown cake. However, over at the BigBakeTheory, Ashleen makes red velvet cupcakes with raw beets. You could try it her way if you don’t want to cook the beets. Here’s that link: http://bigbaketheory.com/2012/01/27/natural-red-velvet-cake/
I’ve heard something about the red in red velvet cakes coming from a reaction between cocoa and vinegar, but I’ve done some research on a couple different recipes and websites and they all say to use red food coloring or beets. Do you know anything about cocoa and vinegar?
Thanks!
Just came across this. Thanks so much as you have reduced the amount of trial and errors I make! I have successfully made a sugar free version of this cake and am now going to attempt a sugar free, red-dye free, and possibly gluten free and dairy free version. So basically I am trying to make a healthy cake that tastes the same (ie so no one can tell the difference!) I love tricking people into thinking they are indulging when really they are eating something that is good for them! Will let you know how it goes
Lindsey—No, I honestly don’t know much about the chemical reaction, other than the red color was probably much less intense than a modern red velvet cake.
Jaime: Thank you so much for coming up with this recipe! My daughter is allergic to dye, and she and I both have gluten issues. I used your recipe with gluten free all-purpose flour (direct substitution) and it turned out fantastic! I made it for my birthday (not going to ask anyone else to make a cake from scratch), and my dad said he loved it and wanted the same for his birthday. Thanks again!
That’s wonderful, Amanda! I’m thrilled it worked out gluten-free. What brand of flour did you use?
Sophistimom, you are awesome. This recipe is perfect. Exactly what I expect a red velvet cake to be. The consistency, the texture, the color, moisture and flavor…amazing. Especially impressed with your chemistry approach to this perfect recipe.
Thank you.
Giovanni
You’re welcome, Giovanni! Thank you so much!
I followed this recipe to a “T” for the exception of using unprocessed beets. I chose to use canned and puree them.
The cake fell. I had a feeling. So many eggs, cream cheese, and sugar…but not very much flower. My baking powder was fine.
It was a dense and “interesting” texture. The color was off as was noted by other comments about using canned beets.
Wow icing! Such a large amount of icing for such little cake. I would keep that in mind for next time. I am still looking for the perfect cream cheese icing. I find they are often always ‘runny’. I even left the almond extract and cream out of mine and it was still a gloppy consistency. I guess I just like icing with more back bone.
Sadly I probably wouldn’t make this cake again. I was actually upset I spend the money I did to make it.
Sorry.
No need to apologize, Amanda. When you say that you followed the recipe to a “T,” but used the canned beets, I have to say that therein lay your problem.
[...] is red velvet. The ultimate dye-free nemesis. Luckily I came upon this amazing recipe for an All Natural Red Velvet Cake by Sophistimom. It uses BEETS for color, and a wonderfully moist cream cheese pound cake recipe as its base, and [...]
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I just tried this recipe. I was so excited because everything was coming out exactly as you said, color and everything. Unfortunately, the finished product has too strong a beet flavor for my tastes :/
Thank you for posting the recipe though! It was a fun experiment!
Thanks, Vanessa!