Madonna Inn's famous pink champagne cake is no longer pink

Madonna Inn customers craving a piece of decadent pink champagne cake could be out of luck for the foreseeable future.

Guittard Chocolate Co., the Madonna Inn's vendor, is facing a pink chocolate shortage because of new FDA regulations on red food dye.

Amanda Rich, Madonna Inn's artistic director, said the bakery has been relying on its back stock of pink chocolate for the past six months. Rich added that Guittard has been working on an alternative recipe for about nine months.

The pink champagne cake is still available for purchase, Rich said. It just lacks the trademark pink coloring.

"It's the exact same recipe as the white chocolate cake. They just don't add dye to the white chocolate," she said.

The pink champagne cake has long been the Madonna Inn's most popular dessert. Rich said it's standard to produce at least 10 pink champagne cakes per day, with orders increasing significantly during the holidays.

Decorators shave long strips of chocolate from 10-pound bars to create the curls that garnish the top of the inn's cakes. The remaining chocolate crumbles are used to decorate the sides of the dessert, plus parts not covered by the curls.

The Madonna Inn also faced a pink chocolate shortage in 2016 due to FDA regulations.

This story was originally published June 7, 2018 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Madonna Inn's famous pink champagne cake is no longer pink."