Saturday, August 4, 2012

A Perfect Shade of Red Velvet

I have a confession to make.....
I hate Red Velvet Cake!!! And I'm gonna tell you why.....
Somewhere along the course of human history, the human populous had a seed planted in their minds that told them what it is that is considered 'delicious'. And somehow pop culture defined that as Red Velvet Cake.
"Oh my dear friend...", it would say, "Haven't you heard what the hip people are eating these days?? When you order a cake, you order RED VELVET! It is everything you want and more!"
And this is where I begin to get to my point.
Sometimes, in the case of bakery customers, people have no idea what they want. They THINK that they do, but the truth is, they're just going off of what the world tells them that they want. And this is especially true with cakes. And don't get me wrong, everything about Red Velvet Cake sounds appealing. Even the name; "RED VELVET" just sounds so decadent and high class. And anything edible with the word velvet in it just makes your mouth water...
Well I'm here to burst your bubble folks.....
Red Velvet Cake is overrated! EVERY bakery in this country is making butt-loads of cash off of all of you with what is basically chocolate cake with red food coloring! And most of the time (not always, mind you), the cake is returned or refunded due to disappointment.
Now I'm sure there are some of you out there that will swear to the high heavens that I'm crazy, or jaded, OR....lemme guess......I haven't tried your mother/grandma/great aunt/ etc.'s 'World Famous' Red Velvet Cake.... Which you're most likely right! But that leads me to ANOTHER point!
High expectations are endless in the bakery industry! I can't tell you how many times I've experienced in my culinary career someone returning a cake because it didn't taste like the way they remember it. It's a sad fact of these crazy times we live in, but no matter where you go in this country, food is never gong to taste the same.
After years of trading recipes, and minor tweaks to old favorites, odds are that anything from a Lemon Meringue Pie to (in this case) a Red Velvet Cake are going to taste different in let's say Seattle and Tallahassee. It's not good or bad, it just is...
So there you have it folks. My first rant on this blog....take it or leave it, but the next time you go to your local bakery and decide to take a walk on this wild side and order a Red Velvet Cake.....Don't say I didn't warn you! ;)
Sincerely,
The Caker Maker