With its vivid coloring, red velvet cake is often the top choice for a Valentine's Day dessert. The cake - once a relatively obscure Southern specialty - rose to prominence in the late 90s and soon 'red velvet' found its way into a host of other foods from bagels to cinnamon rolls. The phrase become "secondhand for luxury, decadence, and richness," according to food writer Jaya Saxena. But does red velvet live up to its hype? Saxena says no.

 "A bagel place should not have to worry about red velvet," laments Saxena, who feels that in today's world with the sense of urgency that drives brands to capitalize on the current "it" item, people will produce things to fit the trend, like slapping 'red velvet' on a product just to say they have it, without regard for quality or taste. It merely takes a healthy dose of red food coloring and maybe a bit of cream cheese icing to "red velvet" something, but what does that actually contribute besides an off flavor and odd hue?

Regardless of Saxena's feelings on the matter, red velvet is sure to remain popular for awhile, especially on Valentine's Day. I have listed below some of the top rated red velvet recipes in the EYB Library. Where do you stand on red velvet (cake or otherwise) - yay or nay?