What the world needs now: green velvet cake (plus some actually interesting green food ideas)

Food Network text: "Red velvet cake gets remade for St. Paddy's Day with the help of green food coloring. Cover the cake with fluffy frosting, then use your imagination to finish it with decorations."

by Ken

No, there's nothing wrong with your computer monitor if the cake above displays as green. As you'll note in the photo caption above, red velvet cake has gotten remade for St. Paddy's Day with the help of green food coloring."

I'm a little queasy about bringing this news to you just a day after devoting a post to Sbarro's pizza. You could get the idea that this is the place to come for food news that will make you feel like puking up your guts. Still, I thought it was important to spread the word about green velvet cake.

Somehow I survived the onslaught of green bagels, and green-and-whites turning up in baked-goods trays that would normally hold black-and-whites, and so on and so on. But there's something about green velvet cake that seems somehow to cross a line. If, however, your response is more along the lines of: "Hot dog! That's just the ticket for St. Patrick's day," then you'll find the recipe for St. Patrick's Day Green Velvet Layer Cake here.

And that's not all. The folks in the Food Network Kitchen apparently put their thinking caps on to ask themselves, "What other kinds of otherwise-edible foods could we turn a nice bilious green?" And they came up with a bunch, including some -- notably the ones that aren't featured on the front page -- that actually sound green, or greenish, and don't make me nearly as queasy as the green velvet cake. For that matter, come to think of it, the red color of red velvet cake also comes from food coloring.

St. Patrick's Day Green Velvet Cupcake Shamrocks

"The old-fashioned boiled frosting for these Emerald Isle green cupcakes is creamy and fluffy and reminds us of childhood."

St. Patrick's Day Spinach Pancakes and Corned Beef Hash

"These bright green savory pancakes have an incredibly moist, custardy texture, and a fresh oniony bite."

St. Patrick's Day Mint Schnapps Shakes

"A grown-up milkshake, this pale green delight is perfect as a mid-day treat or after-dinner dessert. It's only as good as the ice cream."

St. Patrick's Day Lime Poke Cake

"We make this beloved dessert with not-too-sweet buttermilk cake and very lightly sweetened whipped cream. The cake tastes best just lightly chilled, so let it warm up a bit while you whip the cream for the topping."

St. Patrick's Day Mint Shakes

"Milk shakes, like other simple concoctions, are only as good as their ingredients, so use high-quality ice cream and vanilla extract. Combining peppermint extract and vanilla ice cream gives the drink an extra-refreshing, minty flavor you wouldn't get from using regular mint chip ice cream."

Some of those I have no trouble imagining serving -- and eating. And not just on St. Patrick's Day! But if you are celebrating, these might indeed brighten your celebration. In any case, have a healthy and happy holiday.

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