Baby showers are so fun, aren’t they? You ooh and aah over the cutest baby clothes in pastel shades, ogle over the new-fangled baby gear and how much it has changed since your baby showers, and then play shower games that can get just a wee bit crazy when they involve guessing how many inches around the pregnant belly is. They also always have a mighty impressive spread of food.
Cake is always a favorite part of any shower and I wanted it to have a surprise inside when you cut it.
Unexpected, vibrant, and perfect for a little boy.
Blue Velvet Cake has all of the great taste of the more traditional Red Velvet Cake, but with such a fun twist that everyone will remember it.
Blue Velvet Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup (92 g) shortening
- 1 ½ cups (297 g) sugar
- 2 large (100 g) eggs
- 1 ounce (28 g) royal blue gel paste food color
- 2 drops (0.2 g) violet gel paste food color
- 2 tablespoons (10.5 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 ¼ cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 scant teaspoon (2.6 g) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (4.7 g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (227 g) buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) baking soda
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour 3 8-inch round cake pans.
- Cream Crisco and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs one at a time, completely incorporating after each addition.
- In a small bowl, make a paste of food coloring and cocoa powder and add to mixture.
- Stir together flour and salt in a separate medium bowl, set aside.
- Pour buttermilk and vanilla into a measuring cup, set aside.
- Alternately, add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture into Crisco/sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Reduce speed of mixer and stir in baking soda, making sure incorporated into batter. Then, stir in the vinegar, taking care not to beat hard or over mix.
- Distribute cake batter evenly into the three cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until cakes have gently pulled away from the edges of the cake pans and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.. You can follow my tips for how to tell when your cake is done.
- Cool cake thoroughly before frosting.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Notes: I used Americolor Soft Gel Paste in Royal Blue and Violet. You may also want to try a natural-based food coloring.
Kids loved it. very good and easy recipe, i tried it last night
I’m so glad your children loved this cake, Nadia. Thanks
Can you use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Yes, Sonja, you can use cake flour if you wish. Hope you like the cake!
The blue velvet cake I want to try to make
I have been baking cakes since I was 4 years old. I am 55 now. This is the first recipe I have ever tried where the cake fell. I opened the oven door after the stated 25 minutes of baking time to test for doneness and as soon as I opened the door, it started to deflate. Not sure what the issue is. Saving grace is, I will be using this to make cake pops with.
Hi Yvette,
I’m sorry your cake fell. I have not had this happen with this cake. Some reasons for this could be: 1) opening the oven door before the cake is fully cooked. Did the layers of the cake turn loose from the sides of the pan before you opened the door? Was the cake completely done when you tested it? 2) beating the baking soda and vinegar too hard after adding it to the batter – it should be mixed into the batter gently like folding egg whites into batter. Hope this helps!
can this recipe be done 9×13?
Hi, Tammy,
I have not made this cake in a 9 x 13 pan but I think you should be able to. You may need to cook it a little longer, maybe 30-35 minutes. Let me know how this works for you. Thanks!
Is the cocoa in this unsweetened?
Yes, it is. Thanks Melanie!
The minute I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I immediately wanted to try it! I read the instructions carefully (probably about three times) prior to making the cake. I even measured and had things waiting so all I had to to do was add them when it was their turn. Unfortunately, my cake turned out more brown than anything else. I even tried adding a bit more of the blue dye to even it out, but it still came out brown. What did I do wrong?
Would it have made more sense to add a little less cocoa powder in my case?
Hi Lauren,
It could be from using a different type of food coloring than I used, but not sure. In the recipe, I give the type I used. I also share a Note right under the recipe that I used Americolor Soft Gel Paste in Royal Blue and Violet.
I would keep the cocoa the amount used in the recipe.
I hope this helps! Thanks!
Add half the cocoa and use butter instead of Crisco. To prevent color bleed (blue can be bad!) place vinegar in a one-cup glass bowl. Blending with a plastic spoon, add food coloring. Add flavoring extract(s) and stir until smooth. Add natural cocoa powder. Stir until smooth. Give this mixture a little bit to hydrate; stir again. Add half the buttermilk; let it sit while you assemble and measure everything else. I do this step before I set out my eggs and butter. Add your food coloring mixture to your cake batter with the wet ingredients, then finish with the dry ingredients.
Hi, i came upon this recipe for the blue velvet cake. I hve just tried it, but the color came out more green. I have used the blue powder for the color. What did i do wrong and how many of the powder should. i use to get the blue.
Thanks
I’ve not made this with blue powder before Alda, so I can’t say how it turns out with it. Thanks!
Hi, can these blue velvet used for stacked wedding cake?.
Hi –
I’ve never stacked more layers than shown in the recipe, Banu, so I can’t speak to the results. Thanks!
I made the recipe but it didn’t rise much at all.. Is that to be expected?
Hi can i use regular food coloring or does it have to be gel?