Just in time for Valentine’s Day! Did you know that traditional Red Velvet cake uses a whole little squeeze bottle of red food coloring? You can use less if you have the super pigmented stuff, but still, that’s a lot of artificial food pigment. Some people have documented allergic reactions to food dye, and there are also behavioral links to the stuff. It’s definitely not the best for you. Personally, I have not been able to move myself away from artificial colors entirely, though I’ve been limiting them except for my sons’ birthday parties (when I tend to go to town on the frosting.) I have been looking at alternatives more often though, and toying with using beets as the color source for Red Velvet Cake. I was worried it would taste like beets, and there was a bit on my first try, though I was the only one who seemed bothered by it. Zax even ate several of that batch without frosting, and he didn’t make any complaints–and let me tell you, that kid is picky! I felt it was too beety though, so I . . .