Valentines Day baking

[zoestargrove]

Check out these heart shaped whoopie pies made with red velvet cake! http://annies-eats.net/2010/02/08/red-velvet-whoopie-pies/

I've always been a little squeamish about all that artificial dye in the red velvet cakes,so I might try this recipe that uses beet root. Anyone have a tried and true recipe that doesn't use artifical dye?

Naturally Colored Red Velvet Cake: Red Colored Cake Without Food Coloring and No Red Dye http://www.suite101.com/content/naturally-colored-red-velvet-cake-a91163#ixzz1DP7RaOFd

I think I'm going to try those and these secret decoder cookies that my son says we HAVE to make. http://www.gourmetmomonthego.com/2009/02/secret-message-decoder-cookies.html


so, what are you baking this valentine's day?

[Melaine]

I love that you found a natural red velvet cake. The amount of food coloring in the traditional ones is horrific. Where do you buy the beet root though?

[zoestargrove]

I know, it's gross.

I was going to see if my local natural food store had it, but if not then I can order it from Mountain Rose Herbs. (I doubt I could get it in time for valentines day though.)

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/search/search.php?refine=y&keywords=Beet+Root+Powder

If I end up buying a bag of it, I'll have to come up with more uses than this one recipe. I'm wondering if I could add some of this to my smoothies. DS2 is particularly suspicious when his strawberry smoothie is a muddled brown. I don't know what happens - sometimes a handful of spinach finds it way into the mix. :)