Is red velvet cake made out of beetles?

Answer 1

No, Red Velvet Cake is made from flour, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, a bit of cocoa powder and a good deal of red food coloring. See attached link for a recipe for Red Velvet Cake.

It's true that there is a particular kind of red food coloring (carmine) that is made from insects. However, you certainly don't have to use that particular type of food coloring to make red velvet cake, and even if you do, you're not using the actual insects directly, but rather a compound extracted from them. (Also, cochineal insects technically aren't "beetles" anyway... beetles are order Coleoptera, and cochineal insects are in order Hemiptera, though I realize that doesn't necessarily make it any more palatable to think about eating them.)

Answer 2

Yes. The red food dye ingredient is cochineal or carmine. Cochineal is a beetle from Central and South American and they crush the carcasses of the bugs which produces the red color. It's been used for centuries as a dye.

Its found in dozens of foods, beverages and cosmetics.

Answer 3

No. It is chocolate cake with a bit of red food coloring added.

There's a kind of insect that's used to make a particular type of red food coloring. If your red food coloring says it contains "carmine" or "cochineal extract", then insects were likely involved, though it's not actually their "blood" and they're not technically "beetles".

Answer 4

First answer:

Unfortunately, yes. Red velvet cake is simply chocolate cake with red dye, but that dye is made of cochineal bugs. They grind them and use their guts and turn it into a powder. The powder turns bright red when mixed with water. Disgustingly enough, we've been doing it for centuries. Don't worry. Many foods happen to include bugs, mostly dyes. Sorry to disappoint you!

Clarification on above answer:

In the United States, you need to take a look at the ingredient statement. If it says something like "Red 40" or "Red 3", that coloring is not made from bugs. If the ingredient statement includes "cochineal extract" or "carmine", then the coloring has been made from the bugs. So, not all velvet cakes have been made with coloring made from cochineal bugs.

Answer 5

No, not exactly. Red velvet cake doesn't have beetles in it, but it does contain red food colouring. One type of red food colouring is called Carmine, and this one is made from cochineals (a type of beetle). Thus, if red velvet cake that uses this kind of dye, it will then contain the remnants of those beetles used to make the dye.

On a food label, this type of dye may be referred to as Carmine, Red-4, Cochineal, Carminic acid, C.I. 75470,or E120.

Answer 6

No, it is just red dye.