The 20-Year Search for the Perfect Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake

There are family recipes—and then there are legendary family recipes. The kind that spark memories, bring people together, and send you on a two-decade journey when they mysteriously go missing.

This is one of those stories.

The Cake That Started It All

Our version of the Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake has a history as rich as its flavor. It all began when my mom, Laura, tried it at a friends house. Her friend’s mother always had the most fancy recipes and she said that this cake recipe was very special. Laura tasted a slice of cake that would stay with her for the rest of her life—a deep red, tender, cocoa-kissed masterpiece with a dreamy, fluffy frosting unlike anything she’d had before.

It was the iconic red velvet cake, made from the original Waldorf Astoria recipe.

Laura begged for the recipe and was thrilled when she received it. From that year forward, she made it for her birthday every year without fail.

Then One Day… It Disappeared

Years later, in a well-meaning act of tidying up, a sweet babysitter decided to “help” by organizing Laura’s recipe cards—and threw away the ones that looked the most worn. You guessed it. The red velvet recipe was gone.

Despite our best efforts, none of the red velvet cake recipes we tried lived up to the memory. And don’t even get us started on cream cheese frosting—not right for this cake.

Laura called friends, dug through cookbooks, drove to Idaho to try and get the orginal back, and searched online. My sister Rachel took up the mission, baking red velvet cake after red velvet cake for years. Each time she would tweak the recipe a little bit more, trying to crack the code. It was close… but never quite right.

Until now.

We finally recreated it. And today, we’re sharing the full recipe with you—because we believe truly great family recipes should never be kept secret.

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Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake (with Cooked Icing)

This red velvet cake is bold, fluffy, and tender with a lightly cocoa-infused crumb. The real showstopper? The old-fashioned cooked flour frosting. No cream cheese here—just a silky, buttery dream that melts into every bite.

Ingredients

Cake:

• ½ cup butter-flavored Crisco (or we prefer ¼ cup butter + ¼ cup Crisco)
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 ounce red food coloring and 1 ounce of water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 ½ cups sifted cake flour (about 240g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

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Instructions

1. Preheat and Prep:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch or three 8-inch cake pans. For more cake and less frosting, use two pans; for thinner layers, go with three.

2. Cream Butter and Sugar:
Beat Crisco and sugar on high until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, and add vanilla. Beat well, scraping the sides of the bowl.

3. Make the Cocoa Paste:
In a small bowl, mix cocoa and food coloring into a paste. Add to the creamed mixture and blend thoroughly.

4. Alternate Dry and Wet:
In one bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another, mix salt, vanilla, and buttermilk. Alternately add dry and wet ingredients to the creamed mixture, mixing just until combined.

5. Add the Vinegar Reaction:
In a small bowl, stir together baking soda and vinegar. It will fizz—quickly fold this into the batter. It should puff slightly, so don’t overmix.

6. Bake:
Divide the batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes before turning out.

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The Fluffy Cooked Frosting (AKA “Ermine Frosting”)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter, cut into small chunks (slightly cool)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

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Frosting Instructions

1. Make the Roux:
Whisk milk and flour together in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened like pudding. Remove from heat, stir in salt, and cool completely with wax paper on top to prevent skin.

2. Cream Sugar and Butter:
In a stand mixer, beat sugar and butter until smooth. Once the roux has cooled to room temp, add it in and beat on high until the mixture is fluffy and smooth (about 3 minutes). Add vanilla and continue beating until the frosting is no longer grainy.

Troubleshooting Tip:
If the frosting looks curdled, melt 2 tablespoons of it in the microwave and slowly add back in while mixing. Repeat if needed.

Remove the roux from pan and put on plate to cool. Don’t let it cool in the pan it will overcook!

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Notes and Tips:

• Always sift or weigh your flour to avoid a dry cake.
• Remove the roux from pan and put on plate to cool. Don’t let it cool in the pan it will overcook!
• Don’t skimp on the mixing time for the frosting—it’s key to getting the right texture.

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Why We’re Sharing This Recipe Now

This cake is part of our family story. And now it can be part of yours. Whether you’re baking it for a birthday, a holiday, or just because—you’ll understand why we spent 20 years trying to find it.

So go ahead—bake it, share it, and let us know what you think. After all, the best cakes are the ones that come with a story.

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🧁 PIN IT OR PRINT IT

Love this recipe? Save it, print it, or tag us on Instagram @houseoffolkman when you make it. We’d love to see how it turns out in your kitchen!