Waldorf Red Velvet Cake & Frosting

This is the legendary Waldorf red velvet cake, made famous by New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in the early 1900s and still the gold standard for this Southern icon.

The cake itself is tender and fine-crumbed with just a whisper of cocoa that adds depth without tasting like chocolate, while buttermilk and vinegar react with baking soda for that signature velvety texture.

What makes this Waldorf version special is the cooked flour frosting, sometimes called ermine frosting, which tastes like the lovechild of buttercream and whipped cream but without the cloyingly sweet heaviness.

You cook milk and flour into a paste, chill it completely, then beat it with butter and powdered sugar until it’s impossibly light and fluffy.

Pro Tips

• Sift flour 2 to 3 times for the finest, most tender crumb
• Make the frosting first so it has plenty of time to chill before beating
• Combine vinegar and baking soda in a cup and watch it fizz before adding to batter
• The cooked flour mixture must be completely cold before adding to butter or it will melt
• This frosting is less stable than cream cheese, so keep the finished cake refrigerated

Variations

• Use natural cocoa powder for deeper red color or Dutch-process for subtler hue
• Add ½ teaspoon almond extract to the cake for extra dimension
• Fold mini chocolate chips into the frosting for unexpected texture