Red velvet is a traditional cake flavor that is red, red-brown, or scarlet colored and contains buttermilk and chocolate. It is usually paired with a cream cheese frosting. Most people look to red velvet around Valentine's Day, hoping to make something sweet and romantic. But these recipes are great year-round! The key to getting the right flavor profile is to use unsweetened cocoa and buttermilk. And when adding your food coloring, the gel kind works the best. It's so much more concentrated, and you won't need to use it a lot. Red is a color of indulgence and luxury and the color, combined with the name red velvet sets up a subjective expectation. Color is so important in food, and these will most definitely draw everyone's attention!