When Valentine’s Day (or any old date night) rolls around, we lean on the elegant crowd-pleaser that is red velvet cake. But is this iconic confection nothing more than red-dyed chocolate cake? The answer is no: It’s much less chocolatey than say, devil’s food cake , since it typically […]
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When Valentine’s Day (or any old date night) rolls around, we lean on the elegant crowd-pleaser that is red velvet cake. But is this iconic confection nothing more than red-dyed chocolate cake? The answer is no: It’s much less chocolatey than say, devil’s food cake, since it typically only gets a few tablespoons of cocoa powder for flavor. It also tends to have a notable tang, thanks to the addition of vinegar and/or buttermilk. And of course, it wouldn’t be red velvet cake without a few vibrant drops of red food coloring and a decadent layer of cream cheese frosting. Read on for 24 red velvet recipes that prove there’s no shortage of ways to indulge in the timeless dessert.
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1. Red Velvet Cake
Before we get to other creative riffs, let’s start with the O.G. We love this traditional recipe because it calls for both white vinegar and buttermilk.
2. Easy Red Velvet Pancakes
Dessert for breakfast? Don’t mind if we do. These come together in a flash, thanks to boxed red velvet cake mix. As delightful as these flapjacks are, don’t get it twisted: The four-ingredient cream cheese icing is the real star.
3. Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
The light-as-air filling is truly revelatory. It contains tangy cream cheese and rich butter, but Marshmallow Fluff is the secret to its nostalgic sweetness.
4. Red Velvet Lava Cakes
Just the finale for your date night menu. The recipe makes two tiny cakes, so you won’t have to worry about testing your willpower around leftovers.
5. Red Velvet Cocktail
Cake-flavored vodka is a thing. A sweet, glorious thing. Grenadine takes over for red food dye on the color front.
6. Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
We’re betting Santa Claus will be blown away when he finds these snow-topped delights by the tree.
7. Red Velvet Cheesecake
A fraction of the frosting, ten times the tang. Chocolate cream sandwich cookies in the crust also up the cocoa-laced ante.
8. Red Velvet Oreo Brownies
You won’t find any cream cheese in these handhelds. Instead, they’re topped with cookies-and-cream frosting and thick chocolate ganache.
9. Red Velvet Donuts
Wow everyone at brunch with these baked, sprinkle-clad beauties. Feel free to top them with drizzles of both basic glaze and chocolate icing.
10. Red Velvet Macarons
Yup, we’ll be gifting these to everyone on our Christmas list. Roll the outsides of the macarons in mini chocolate chips for extra crunch.
11. Deep, Dark and Rosy Red Velvet Cupcakes
A few dashes of rose water in the cream cheese frosting and bittersweet chocolate cupcakes gives the dessert a fragrant, floral makeover.
12. Oreo Red Velvet Ice Cream
Don’t feel like using red food coloring? Freeze-dried raspberries will offer both tart, fruity flavor and a pink hue to the ice cream.
13. Nutella-Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies
Fact: Nutella makes *everything* better, and these gooey cookies are no exception. We wouldn’t blame you for going double duty with a smear of cream cheese frosting.
14. Red Velvet Seven Layer Bars
A red velvet cookie crust meets heaps of condensed milk, shredded coconut, two types of chocolate chips and chopped pecans.
15. Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake
The cake natural color is made possible by beet purée and powder. Chalk the gluten-free recipe up to ivory teff (a mild grain), sweet rice and oat flours.
16. Red Velvet Cake Smoothie
The healthiest red velvet cake of all time, in liquid form. We’re talking bananas, beets, dates and a generous amount of cocoa powder.
17. Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
These marbled stunners require less than an hour of your time. We’ll be eating our brownie warm with a scoop of chocolate ice cream, thank you very much.
18. Red Velvet Thumbprints with Marshmallow Frosting
We have a feeling your kids are going to love licking the marshmallowy crowns off these cookies, just as much as they’ll like poking their thumbs into the dough.
19. Red Velvet Marble Cake
Swirls of cream cheese-spiked vanilla cake and red-dyed chocolate cake make a delectable base for tangy cream cheese glaze.
20. Red Velvet Cookies
You know those soft-baked supermarket cookies dressed in an uber-thick layer of frosting that are impossible to quit? These 30-minute gems taste just like that.
21. 3-Ingredient Red Velvet Truffles
You won’t even have to turn on the stove to pull off these poppables—just melt the white chocolate coating in the microwave.
22. Gooey Red Velvet S’mores Bars
A pile of melty toasted marshmallows tastes good on just about everything. But on a brownie with a graham cracker crust? That’s plain divine.
23. Cream Cheese Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies
Instead of topping the cookies with cream cheese frosting, the tangy pièce de résistance is baked into them.
24. Red Velvet Cake Hot Chocolate
Psst: There’s a surprise at the bottom of every mug, so start sipping. (OK, we’ll spill: It’s a round of freshly baked red velvet cake.)
