It's a bit of urban legend that attributes the origin of red velvet cake to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, where it was popular in the 1920s. Much like the Neiman Marcus cookie myth, it's unlikely that this ruby-red cocoa cake, so lauded in the South, originated there.

In truth, no one seems to know from whence this all-occasion favorite, with its velvety layers and glistening white frosting so perfect for Valentine's Day, came.

Chris Hunt/Staff (ENLARGE)

There's not one standard red velvet cake recipe, but differences basically come down to using shortening, butter or oil.

Joey Ivansco/Staff (ENLARGE)

The cake's velvety layers and glistening white frosting are perfect for Valentine's Day.

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There's not one standard recipe, as noted by James Beard, but differences basically come down to using shortening, butter or oil. Those that use oil and cake flour will be the moistest, with the densest crumb, though the cake remains light. Almost all recipes for this grass-roots classic use baking soda, buttermilk and vinegar for leavening; some cakes use cocoa, others don't. And the red color? It comes from food coloring, though if cocoa is used, it will give the crumb a brownish-red tint.

Growing up Southern, it was my favorite birthday cake (though my mother often colored the cream cheese frosting purple, since that was my favorite color). I noticed my friends from Chicago, New York and New England had rarely heard of it, though.

About five to 10 years ago, red velvet cake began to take hold all over the country. Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey had one for their wedding cake (well, probably not such a good sign now that I think of it). And there's a red velvet cake shaped like an armadillo for a groom's cake in "Steel Magnolias." Suddenly, RVC — a cake that Southerners now claim as their own — was showing up everywhere. Always a classic, its towering red layers are sure to remain a favorite for years to come.

NO TIME? BUY ONE!

Don't have time to bake your own? My colleague, food writer Elizabeth Lee, turned me on to Charlita Varner's red velvet cupcakes at Buttersweet Bakery in Hapeville, where the crumb is moister than moist and a big, bold red. The icing has a cream cheese tang, but is fluffier than most cream cheese frostings. It's my favorite in the area.

• Buttersweet Bakery, 625 N. Central Ave., Hapeville. 404-767-9884, www.buttersweetbakery.com.

Others to try:

• A Piece of Cake (www.pieceofcakeinc.com) makes a fluffy, moist, fine-crumbed version that's bright red like it ought to be and smacks of cocoa flavor, a devil's food cake with red layers. 3215 Roswell Road, Buckhead. 404-351-2253; 10971 Crabapple Road, Suite 1300, Roswell. 770-643-4999.

• Southern Sweets, 186 Rio Circle, Decatur. 404-373-8752, www.southernsweets.com.

• Sweet Auburn Bread Co., 234 Auburn Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-221-1157, www.sweetauburnbread.com.

• Highland Bakery, 655 Highland Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-586-0772, www.highlandbakery.com.