Time Period: 2000 - Present
While the red velvet cake recipe is inherently American, what's usually even more American about it is the shortcut bakers use by using food coloring. Not so with this one, which is given its coloring via roasted beets, which not only dyes the cake, but contributes some natural sugars. While my cursory internet research suggests that red velvet cake was popularized by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, and then spread more widely by Adams Extra and their food coloring, this particular version comes from a pastry chef in Atlanta.
Fun fact: Tiddy hates beets. Loathes them. He didn't even want to be in the house while I was roasting them, due to the smell. I don't mind them as much, but I'm usually only good for a few bites before I'm done with them, too. So how would a cake with a full bundle of roasted beets go over?
Pretty well, it turns out! While the beets lent plenty of color, their flavor was overshadowed by the other ingredients, and with the addition of a cream cheese frosting, this cake was quite tasty, and actually achieved the impossible: Popularity.
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