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.
What a beautiful cake Robyn!
How adorable is this for a baby shower. I love it!
I just discovered your website. This cake is beautiful. May I ask how you decorated it? It is stunning!
Thank you so much, Trish. I’m so glad to *meet* you. My cakes are far, far, far from professional looking. I just used an offset spatula to make loose swirlies on the cake. 🙂 Don’t you love my description!?
I do love your description! What I love about the way you iced the cake is that it is free form. The beauty of it is in its simplicity. I heard a phrase recently that I love and I think it applies to this cake- Imperfectly perfect.
Please accept this as the compliment it is meant to be.
Thank you for your quick response. Have a lovely day!
You are so sweet. Thank you so much, Trish! That is a wonderful compliment.
How fun! I love the blue velvet! This would also be a great gender reveal cake! xoxo
Such a nice idea! Beautiful!
Love velvet cake! I’ve tried green velvet before but not blue!
What a perfect baby boy shower cake! I love!
Robyn!
I am speechless!
This BLUE cake is amazing!
Absolutely incredible!
Your pictures are just beyond WOW!
Love it all!
That frosting looks so GOOD!
xo
what a gorgeous cake!!! so happy for Jenny 🙂 can i ask a question? where did you get your cake stand? been looking high and low for that kind of cake stand with the ruffly edges!!
Hi Julie,
This cake stand was my Grandmother’s, but I’ve seen them in antique stores as well as on Ebay and Etsy before. I love all the details on it. Let me know when you find one!!! Good luck!
I have never ever seen a blue velvet cake ~ this is the perfect way to celebrate a baby boy 🙂 Thanks for joining in the FUN 🙂