Red Velvet Cake
Red velvet cake — also known as “red Waldorf cake,” “Waldorf red cake,” “Waldorf Astoria red cake,” “red carpet cake,” “red mystery cake,” “flame cake,” and “$300 cake” (or a range of other dollar amounts) — is a layer cake with a subtle chocolate flavor and a distinctive bright red hue produced by a considerable amount of red food coloring. It is most typically dramatically contrasted with a rich, soft, and fluffy white frosting that provides much of the cake’s flavor punch and color contrast. The first verifiable record of this artificially-colored cake was in 1959 and of the term “red velvet cake” in the following year.