A spin on Red Velvet Cake

[catciao]

I will be making a RV cake for a client's 40th birthday party and researched many recipes calling for either butter, shortening or oil (pretty sure I'll use butter); varying amounts of red dye (my Mom said you may pee red for a few days if you use too much), one with cinnamon (James Beard); and a few using a box mix. Some comments I've read say that this red cake looks pretty when frosted with white velvet frosting but the cake itself lacks flavor (why Beard added cinnamon). So, I would like to play with the fillings inside the layers and add a new dimension to this cake. I can't imagine this is taboo. My thoughts are raspberry jam, white chocolate ganache, chocolate ganache, or whole berries. Any ideas out there or comments on your preparation of this cake would be much appreciated.

[momoreg]

Many red food coloring brands have a bitter flavor. Wilton makes one without flavor. Good luck with your variations. It is a pretty neutral tasting cake, so your ideas will probably work wonders on the original.

[catciao]

Thanks for the tip Michelle. Your cakes are very nice. Love the armadillo. I may have to ask you about that one some day. My husband owns a restaurant called Armadillos.

[aohara]

The chocolate beet cake in the Moosewood Desserts cookbook is outstanding. You don't taste the beets but they add moisture and pigment. It's one of my favorite cake recipes.

[catciao]

This sounds very interesting and I have today to consider it. I do like the fact that I'm using a natural coloring agent instead of red dye. Thanks, I'm off to B&N.

[momoreg]

That sounds like an ideal colorant.

The armadillo (ironically) was red velvet inside. Comes from a scene in Steel Magnolias, but I stylized it a bit more.