How to Make Blue Velvet Cake
Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and prepare your baking pans., Cream the sugar and butter until they turn light and fluffy., Mix in the eggs one at a time, then set the batter aside., Mix the cocoa powder and food coloring separately., Stir the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and prepare your baking pans.
Using butter or cooking spray, lightly grease the bottom and sides of three 8-inch (20.32-centimeter) round cake pans.
Lightly dust the inside with flour, then tap out the excess.Consider using spring-form cake pans.
This will make the cakes easier to remove. -
Step 2: Cream the sugar and butter until they turn light and fluffy.
You can do this in a mixing bowl using a handheld mixer.
You can also do it in a food processor or in a stand mixer. #* If the butter is still too hard, consider cutting it into smaller cubes first., Beat the batter well after each egg you add.
You do not want any streaks or swirls of egg yolk., In a small bowl, stir together the royal blue and violet gel paste food coloring.
You can do this using a fork or a mini whisk.
Once the color is even, stir in the cocoa powder.
The violet food coloring will help tone down any green tones in your cake, giving you a nice, royal blue color.
If you leave the violet food coloring out, your cake will be green-tinted.
You can leave out the violet food coloring, but your cake may end up looking more turquoise instead. , Keep stirring until everything is evenly combined, and there are no streaks or swirls of color.
Set the mixture aside when you are done., Do not add it into the sugar and butter mixture just yet.
You will be adding it gradually alongside the buttermilk., Add in a little bit of the flour mixture first, stir, then add in a little bit of the buttermilk.
Keep doing this until you use up all of your flour and buttermilk., Vanilla extract can sometimes alter the color of a cake.
It should not be too noticeable, but if this really bothers you, opt for clear vanilla extract instead., Combine the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl or cup first.
The baking soda will fizz once you add the vinegar, which is natural.
Once the fizzing has died down, stir the mixture into the batter., The cakes are ready when the tops spring back when lightly touched.
Another way to test for doneness is to poke a toothpick into the center of the cake; if the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.Try to bake everything on the same rack If you have a small oven, you may need to bake your cakes on separate racks.
If you choose to do this, rotate them every 8 minutes or so, so that they all bake evenly. , Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes first, then take them out of the pans.
Chill the cakes in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
The cakes must be completely cool before you frost them.
If you frost them too soon, the icing will melt., The bowl needs to be big enough to fit the rest of your ingredients, including the butter and sugar., You only want to soften the crème, not cook it or melt it., You can do this using a medium speed setting and a handheld beater, a stand mixer, or even a food processor., Continue beating the mixture until the icing turn smooth.
You are now ready to start frosting your cake., Make sure that the bowl is big enough to fit the rest of your ingredients, including the cream cheese, butter, and sugar., You only want to soften the crème, not cook it or melt it.
About 15 to 20 seconds on high will be plenty., You can do this using a handheld beater, a stand mixer, or even a food processor., Do not overdo this, however, or the icing will lose its "fluffiness."
This will help everything mix in easier and give you a smoother texture.
Be sure the scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl often so that everything mixes in evenly., If you do no like nuts of coconut, you can omit this step.
Your icing is now ready to spread over your cake!, If your cakes are all relatively flat on top, you do not need to do this.
If they have bumps, however, you may wish to trim these off with a knife or a piece of thread.Save the tops for munching on layer.
You can also turn them into delicious blue velvet cake pops. , If you trimmed the tops off of your cakes, make sure that you are using the untrimmed cake layer.
The bump should be flat against the plate, and the bottom part should be sticking up.
To make clean-up easier: place four 2-inch (5.08-centimeter) wide strips of parchment paper or wax paper your plate to form a square.
Place your cake on top, so that the strips are partly visible.
They will help keep your plate clean while you decorate.,, If you trimmed your cake layers, place the cake cut-side-down.
This will reduce the amount of crumbs that get mixed into the frosting.
If the second layer goes on crooked, use your hands to gently center it before you add the frosting.
Once again, if your cake is dry, gently brush it with a pastry brush to get rid of any loose crumbs.
To prevent the second cake layer from breaking, consider picking it up using a large, offset spatula., Do not coat it with frosting yet.
You can, however, brush the entire cake once more using a pastry brush.
This will help get rid of any loose crumbs., You want to add just enough milk so that the icing becomes easily spread-able.
The crumb coat helps seal in any crumbs, and makes your icing look smoother and neater.
This is especially important considering your cake is blue and your icing is white.If you are short on time, you can move on to frosting the rest of your cake using an offset spatula. , Use an offset spatula to coat the entire cake with a thin layer of the diluted frosting.
Let the cake chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before adding a second coat.Once you have added the second coat, let the cake chill for another 15 minutes in the fridge.
This sets the crumb coat., Do the top of the cake first, then the sides.
For added texture, gently tap the top of the cake with the back of a spoon to great "peaks." Consider placing the cake on a decorator's turntable.
Spin the turntable as you frost the sides.
This will make the coat more even.If you added parchment/wax paper strips under your cake, carefully pull them out once you are done. , If you have any leftovers, cover the cake loosely with some plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge. -
Step 3: Mix in the eggs one at a time
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Step 4: then set the batter aside.
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Step 5: Mix the cocoa powder and food coloring separately.
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Step 6: Stir the cocoa mixture into the sugar and butter mixture.
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Step 7: Sift the flour and salt together in a separate bowl.
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Step 8: Gradually add the flour mixture and the buttermilk into the sugar and butter mixture.
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Step 9: Stir in the vanilla extract.
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Step 10: Stir together the baking soda and vinegar
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Step 11: then add the mixture into the batter.
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Step 12: Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans
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Step 13: and bake for 25 minutes.
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Step 14: Remove the cakes from the oven
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Step 15: and let them cool completely.
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Step 16: Put the marshmallow crème into a large microwave-safe bowl.
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Step 17: Heat the marshmallow crème in the microwave on high for 15 to 20 seconds.
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Step 18: Add in the butter
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Step 19: then beat it until everything is smooth.
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Step 20: Add the confectioners' sugar and salt.
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Step 21: Add the marshmallow crème into a microwave-safe bowl.
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Step 22: Heat the marshmallow crème until it softens.
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Step 23: Beat the cream cheese and butter together until they are evenly combined
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Step 24: then add them to the marshmallow crème.In a separate bowl
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Step 25: beat together the cream cheese and butter until they are evenly combined.
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Step 26: Fold the cream cheese mixture into the marshmallow crème using a rubber spatula.Keep folding until the ingredients are just mixed
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Step 27: making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl often.
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Step 28: Stir in the confectioners' sugar gradually.
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Step 29: Fold in the nuts and shredded coconut
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Step 30: if desired.
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Step 31: Trim the tops off of the cake layers
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Step 32: if necessary.
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Step 33: Place a cake layer
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Step 34: top-side-down on a serving plate.
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Step 35: Use an offset spatula to spread about ⅓ cup (75 grams) of frosting on top of the cake layer.If your cake is very dry
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Step 36: gently brush it with a pastry brush to knock off any loose crumbs first.
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Step 37: Place the second layer on top
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Step 38: and spread another ⅓ cup (75 grams) of frosting.
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Step 39: Place the third
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Step 40: and final layer
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Step 41: on top.
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Step 42: Prepare the crumb coat by diluting ⅓ to ½ cup (75 to 115 grams) of icing with some milk.
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Step 43: Apply two layers of the diluted icing
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Step 44: letting each layer set before adding the next.
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Step 45: Use an offset spatula to coat the cake with the rest of the icing.
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Step 46: Serve the cake.
Detailed Guide
Using butter or cooking spray, lightly grease the bottom and sides of three 8-inch (20.32-centimeter) round cake pans.
Lightly dust the inside with flour, then tap out the excess.Consider using spring-form cake pans.
This will make the cakes easier to remove.
You can do this in a mixing bowl using a handheld mixer.
You can also do it in a food processor or in a stand mixer. #* If the butter is still too hard, consider cutting it into smaller cubes first., Beat the batter well after each egg you add.
You do not want any streaks or swirls of egg yolk., In a small bowl, stir together the royal blue and violet gel paste food coloring.
You can do this using a fork or a mini whisk.
Once the color is even, stir in the cocoa powder.
The violet food coloring will help tone down any green tones in your cake, giving you a nice, royal blue color.
If you leave the violet food coloring out, your cake will be green-tinted.
You can leave out the violet food coloring, but your cake may end up looking more turquoise instead. , Keep stirring until everything is evenly combined, and there are no streaks or swirls of color.
Set the mixture aside when you are done., Do not add it into the sugar and butter mixture just yet.
You will be adding it gradually alongside the buttermilk., Add in a little bit of the flour mixture first, stir, then add in a little bit of the buttermilk.
Keep doing this until you use up all of your flour and buttermilk., Vanilla extract can sometimes alter the color of a cake.
It should not be too noticeable, but if this really bothers you, opt for clear vanilla extract instead., Combine the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl or cup first.
The baking soda will fizz once you add the vinegar, which is natural.
Once the fizzing has died down, stir the mixture into the batter., The cakes are ready when the tops spring back when lightly touched.
Another way to test for doneness is to poke a toothpick into the center of the cake; if the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.Try to bake everything on the same rack If you have a small oven, you may need to bake your cakes on separate racks.
If you choose to do this, rotate them every 8 minutes or so, so that they all bake evenly. , Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes first, then take them out of the pans.
Chill the cakes in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
The cakes must be completely cool before you frost them.
If you frost them too soon, the icing will melt., The bowl needs to be big enough to fit the rest of your ingredients, including the butter and sugar., You only want to soften the crème, not cook it or melt it., You can do this using a medium speed setting and a handheld beater, a stand mixer, or even a food processor., Continue beating the mixture until the icing turn smooth.
You are now ready to start frosting your cake., Make sure that the bowl is big enough to fit the rest of your ingredients, including the cream cheese, butter, and sugar., You only want to soften the crème, not cook it or melt it.
About 15 to 20 seconds on high will be plenty., You can do this using a handheld beater, a stand mixer, or even a food processor., Do not overdo this, however, or the icing will lose its "fluffiness."
This will help everything mix in easier and give you a smoother texture.
Be sure the scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl often so that everything mixes in evenly., If you do no like nuts of coconut, you can omit this step.
Your icing is now ready to spread over your cake!, If your cakes are all relatively flat on top, you do not need to do this.
If they have bumps, however, you may wish to trim these off with a knife or a piece of thread.Save the tops for munching on layer.
You can also turn them into delicious blue velvet cake pops. , If you trimmed the tops off of your cakes, make sure that you are using the untrimmed cake layer.
The bump should be flat against the plate, and the bottom part should be sticking up.
To make clean-up easier: place four 2-inch (5.08-centimeter) wide strips of parchment paper or wax paper your plate to form a square.
Place your cake on top, so that the strips are partly visible.
They will help keep your plate clean while you decorate.,, If you trimmed your cake layers, place the cake cut-side-down.
This will reduce the amount of crumbs that get mixed into the frosting.
If the second layer goes on crooked, use your hands to gently center it before you add the frosting.
Once again, if your cake is dry, gently brush it with a pastry brush to get rid of any loose crumbs.
To prevent the second cake layer from breaking, consider picking it up using a large, offset spatula., Do not coat it with frosting yet.
You can, however, brush the entire cake once more using a pastry brush.
This will help get rid of any loose crumbs., You want to add just enough milk so that the icing becomes easily spread-able.
The crumb coat helps seal in any crumbs, and makes your icing look smoother and neater.
This is especially important considering your cake is blue and your icing is white.If you are short on time, you can move on to frosting the rest of your cake using an offset spatula. , Use an offset spatula to coat the entire cake with a thin layer of the diluted frosting.
Let the cake chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before adding a second coat.Once you have added the second coat, let the cake chill for another 15 minutes in the fridge.
This sets the crumb coat., Do the top of the cake first, then the sides.
For added texture, gently tap the top of the cake with the back of a spoon to great "peaks." Consider placing the cake on a decorator's turntable.
Spin the turntable as you frost the sides.
This will make the coat more even.If you added parchment/wax paper strips under your cake, carefully pull them out once you are done. , If you have any leftovers, cover the cake loosely with some plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge.
About the Author
Lori Garcia
Brings years of experience writing about crafts and related subjects.
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