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Inspired by Waldorf Astoria 🇺🇸 New York City, United States

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Inspired by the Waldorf Astoria

Tender, buttermilk-soft crimson layers with tangy cream cheese frosting

Prep
40 min
Cook
30 min
Total
2 hr 40 min
Yield
One 2-layer 9-inch cake (12 servings)
Level
Intermediate
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The legend behind it

Few cakes come with a better legend than red velvet. The story goes that a woman dining at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York loved its red velvet cake so much that she asked for the recipe, then received a hefty bill for it along with the instructions. In revenge, she shared the recipe far and wide. The tale circulated for decades and is almost certainly an urban legend, the same story later told about other famous recipes, but it helped tie red velvet to the hotel, which still embraces it.

The cake's roots are older. Victorian-era velvet cakes used cocoa and a soft crumb, and the natural reaction between cocoa, buttermilk and vinegar gave them a reddish tint. During the Depression, the Adams Extract company of Texas popularized a version boosted with red food coloring, and the bold crimson look stuck. The original was often finished with an ermine (cooked flour) frosting; cream cheese frosting became the favorite later in the 20th century.

This is our home version inspired by the Waldorf Astoria legend, not the hotel's official recipe. It is moist, tender and gently chocolatey, with a frosting that is tangy rather than cloying.

This is our own home recipe inspired by the dessert served at Waldorf Astoria. It is not the official recipe and we are not affiliated with Waldorf Astoria.

Tips for success

  • Natural cocoa, not Dutch-processed, reacts with the buttermilk and vinegar for the classic tender crumb.
  • Use brick-style cream cheese rather than spreadable tub cream cheese so the frosting holds its shape.
  • Gel coloring gives a vivid red with less liquid; beet powder works for a natural, more muted hue.
  • Store the frosted cake in the fridge and let slices sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Inspired by the Waldorf Astoria

This red velvet cake recipe, inspired by the legendary Waldorf Astoria cake, bakes moist buttermilk layers with a hint of cocoa and finishes them in fluffy cream cheese frosting.

Prep
40 min
Cook
30 min
Total
2 hr 40 min
Yield
One 2-layer 9-inch cake (12 servings)
Calories
~640/serving

Ingredients

For the cake

For the cream cheese frosting

Instructions

Bake the layers

  1. Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment and grease the parchment.
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.
  3. In another bowl, whisk the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar until smooth.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix on low speed just until a smooth batter forms, about 1 minute.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack and cool completely.

Make the frosting

  1. Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar gradually, then the vanilla and salt, and beat until light and fluffy.

Assemble

  1. Level the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife if needed, saving the scraps. Place one layer on a cake stand, spread with about 1 1/2 cups of frosting, and top with the second layer.
  2. Cover the top and sides with a thin crumb coat and chill for 20 minutes, then finish with the remaining frosting. Crumble the reserved cake scraps over the top or sides to decorate.

Tools we use

Recipe from Miss Confection · https://missconfection.com/recipe/red-velvet-cake-inspired-by-the-waldorf-astoria

Questions, answered

What does red velvet cake taste like?

Red velvet is a tender buttermilk cake with a mild cocoa flavor and a slight tang, usually paired with cream cheese frosting.

Did red velvet cake really come from the Waldorf Astoria?

The hotel is closely linked to it, but its origin is disputed. Velvet cakes existed earlier, and the famous recipe story is widely considered a legend.

Can you make red velvet cake without food coloring?

Yes. Leave it out for a brown cake, or use beet powder for a natural reddish tint.

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