Why Did My Red Velvet Cupcakes Taste Odd?

Our answer

Nigella's Red Velvet Cupcakes (from KITCHEN) are cupcake versions of the well-known layer cake. There are two possible reasons why the cake tasted metallic and these are the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) or the red food colouring.

Bicarbonate of soda can have a metallic or soapy taste if it is not used alongside acidic ingredients. However, the cake batter also contains cider vinegar and buttermilk, both of which are acidic, and also baking powder, which contains acidic ingredients. So it is more likely that the taste came from the red food colouring. The cupcakes do require quite a large amount of food colouring and Nigella recommends a gel paste as this produces a stronger colour. Unfortunately some red food colours have a bitter taste because of the ingredients used, particularly the colourant red #3 (E127). So it may help to check the ingredients of the red food colour or use a red food colour paste that is sold as "no taste".