HEEEEEELP! Can i use liquid food colouring in red velvet cake??

[Melondramatic]

I think i know the answer to this 😭

I forgot to go to the shop for gel colouring and need to make it tonight

Please tell me, this will work?

I don't think so - you would have to use an awful lot to achieve the right colour and it could affect the taste.

hummingbirdbakery.com/blogs/hummingbird-bakery-blog/red-velvet-food-colouring

The red colour is supposed to come from a reaction between the cocoa and other ingredients.

So, you can dye a sponge red with colouring but it won’t be a red velvet cake. And if you use that stuff it will quite likely taste of colouring.

Go and buy some gel colour - you'll need lots of liquid colouring so may need to adjust your recipe slightly as it may be too wet and you will potentially be able to taste it.

I was going to say that I didn't see the point of dying chocolate cake red but I googled and I see that its the vinegar and buttermilk that make it different. You learn something every day.

Betty Crocker cake mix is an excellent cheat. Apparently

Yes. We use Dr Oetkers.

The Hummingbird Bakery recipe is fabulous!

I never realised this, I thought red velvet was dyed vanilla cake!

I love hummingbird recipes and they've never failed me yet!

I think the liquid food colours need to be artificial not natural, otherwise they denature and go brown when baked.

The whole point of red velvet is beetroot! It gives it the moist squashiness and red colour. Otherwise you're just making a plain old sponge with food colouring.

It the beetroot that makes it red and taste like a red velvet cake otherwise as pp said it’s a dyed sponge cake

Right. Well. I went and bought gel. But this has posed more questions than it has answered!!

Vinegar?? Beetroot???

The BBC Goodfood Recipe says nothing about vinegar or beetroot! Can someone give me a decent recipe?

My recipe is:

190g butter
150g dark chocolate
375g plain flour
375g caster sugar
1.5 tbsp cocoa powder
2/3 tsp bicarb of soda
Pinch salt
2 eggs
150g natural yogurt
300g beetroot ( I use the vacuum packed cooked ones from tesco)

Oven to 180/ 160 fan.

This makes a 4 layer cake, so I make the sponges in two batches (half the ingredients above for each batch).

Melt half the butter and chocolate in a pan.
Mix half the flour, sugar, cocoa, bicarb and salt in large mixing bowl.
Whizz half the beetroot, 1egg and half the yogurt in food processor until smooth.
Tip beetroot mixture into flour mixture, with melted chocolate mixture and 100ml boiling water. It's a very wet batter, so don't be alarmed!
Divide into two tins and bake for 20 mins approx.
Repeat with the second half of the ingredients.

I make this with a bucket load of cream cheese icing (cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and icing sugar, beaten well) between each layer and generously slathered on the top.

Christ, i'm hungry now...

Thanks. Think i will forgo the beetroot this time and trry the vinegar/buttermilk magic. Intrigued. I have never made one before. I just assumed it was colouring. But always wondered what the fuss was over a red chocolate cake. Every day is a school day