Today we're tasting Red Velvet Oreos, and the mood in the Food Kingdom offices prior to the official tasting was skeptical. Since Red Velvet is a cocoa-based cake, the attitude going in was that the only difference between a Red Velvet and a classic Oreo would be cosmetic, i.e. the color. "It seems like a gimmick", it was remarked. But is Red Velvet more than just chocolate stained red? Let's get some background.
What is Red Velvet Cake and Why is it Red?
Though the cake is associated with World War II shortages and the idea that red dye was added to the cake to make up for a shortage of cocoa, the history is a bit more complicated. The first recipes go back to the 1800s and the red color came initially, not from a dye, but from a chemical reaction between the buttermilk in the batter and a natural acid in cocoa. Once alkaline Dutch-cocoa became more commonly used, the red no longer occurred naturally.
The deeper red color that we know today apparently was not present in the original cake and its origins do go back to World War II shortages, not of cocoa but of butter and sugar. To make up for smaller quantities of those two ingredients, a substitute ingredient was needed that could replace the sweetness of the sugar and the moisture of the butter, and that ingredient was concentrated beet juice. Though some recipes today still call for beet juice, most now substitute red food dye to create the deep red color.
How Should a Red Velvet Cookie Taste?
The officially recognized flavors in the cakey portion of this dessert are cocoa, buttermilk, and vinegar, so while there should be real chocolate notes, there should also be sweet and sour elements and that ineffable dairy essence. The Oreo package, rather more proudly than you would expect, announces that these cookies are artificially flavored, so search for neither vinegar nor buttermilk in the ingredient list, though both cocoa and "chocolate" are listed.
As for the creme filling, we expect a cream cheese flavor, whether it be delivered by real cream cheese or the creative use of chemicals. As with the cinnamon bun Oreos yesterday, there's plenty of that creme on hand, so we'll get to how it all comes together after the picture.
The Triumph of Modern Science: A Virtual Taste Match
While there was a superficial resemblance between the original Oreo and southern offshoot, this Red Velvet version really did bring something new to the table and the tastebuds. The bright tangy buttermilk and vinegar notes were there and the fake cream cheese really did wrap its faux-dairy essence around every crumble of cookie. This cheerful bit of southern comfort makes for a familiar yet exotic alternative to the classic formula.
Overall taste: 4.5 out of 5
Fidelity to the taste target: 4.5 out of 5
UPDATE: Dissenting taster J.N. wished to add that it "only tasted very slightly different from a standard Oreo, with the cookie part and cream both having slight differences. 4 out of 5 for taste and 1 out of 5 for [fidelity to the taste target]"
What is Red Velvet Cake and Why is it Red?
Though the cake is associated with World War II shortages and the idea that red dye was added to the cake to make up for a shortage of cocoa, the history is a bit more complicated. The first recipes go back to the 1800s and the red color came initially, not from a dye, but from a chemical reaction between the buttermilk in the batter and a natural acid in cocoa. Once alkaline Dutch-cocoa became more commonly used, the red no longer occurred naturally.
The deeper red color that we know today apparently was not present in the original cake and its origins do go back to World War II shortages, not of cocoa but of butter and sugar. To make up for smaller quantities of those two ingredients, a substitute ingredient was needed that could replace the sweetness of the sugar and the moisture of the butter, and that ingredient was concentrated beet juice. Though some recipes today still call for beet juice, most now substitute red food dye to create the deep red color.
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| Though cookie and cake now get their red color from artificial dye, in the antebellum South it was a natural reaction between acid in the cocoa and buttermilk that created a reddish hue. |
The officially recognized flavors in the cakey portion of this dessert are cocoa, buttermilk, and vinegar, so while there should be real chocolate notes, there should also be sweet and sour elements and that ineffable dairy essence. The Oreo package, rather more proudly than you would expect, announces that these cookies are artificially flavored, so search for neither vinegar nor buttermilk in the ingredient list, though both cocoa and "chocolate" are listed.
As for the creme filling, we expect a cream cheese flavor, whether it be delivered by real cream cheese or the creative use of chemicals. As with the cinnamon bun Oreos yesterday, there's plenty of that creme on hand, so we'll get to how it all comes together after the picture.
 |
| An extra helping of artificial cream cheese filling between two artificially colored and flavored wafers. What could possibly go wrong? |
While there was a superficial resemblance between the original Oreo and southern offshoot, this Red Velvet version really did bring something new to the table and the tastebuds. The bright tangy buttermilk and vinegar notes were there and the fake cream cheese really did wrap its faux-dairy essence around every crumble of cookie. This cheerful bit of southern comfort makes for a familiar yet exotic alternative to the classic formula.
Overall taste: 4.5 out of 5
Fidelity to the taste target: 4.5 out of 5
UPDATE: Dissenting taster J.N. wished to add that it "only tasted very slightly different from a standard Oreo, with the cookie part and cream both having slight differences. 4 out of 5 for taste and 1 out of 5 for [fidelity to the taste target]"
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