How to Make Blue Velvet Cake

Co-authored by Mathew Rice

Last Updated: November 8, 2021 References

Blue velvet cake is a delicious twist on the more traditional red velvet cake. It is typically served with a cream cheese-based icing, but you can also make it with a basic, marshmallow icing instead. Once you know the basics of making a blue velvet cake, you can experiment with your own variations, such as a lighter shade of blue, a darker shade of blue, or even ombre!

Ingredients

Cake ^{[1]
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2 cups (450 grams) white sugar
1 cup (225 grams/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 tablespoon (7.5 grams) cocoa powder
1 ounce (30 milliliters) royal blue gel paste food color
2 drops violet gel paste food color
2½ cups (300 grams) cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (240 milliliters) buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) vinegar

Basic Icing (Option 1) ^{[2]
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1 jar (7 ounces/198 grams) marshmallow crème
1 cup (225 grams/2 sticks) butter, softened
2½ cups (315 grams) confectioners' sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Icing (Option 2) ^{[3]
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1 package (8 ounces/226 grams) cream cheese
½ cup (115 grams/1 stick) butter, softened
1 jar (7 ounces/198 grams) marshmallow crème
1 box (16 ounces/454 grams) confectioners' sugar
1 cup (60 grams) shredded coconut
1 cup (125 grams) chopped pecans

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Making the Cake

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. ^{[4]
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- 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.
4
Mix the cocoa powder and food coloring separately. 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. ^{[5]
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- 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.
10
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, and bake for 25 minutes. 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. ^{[6]
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- 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. ^{[7]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Making Basic Icing (Option 1)

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. ^{[8]
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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 turns smooth. You are now ready to start frosting your cake.

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Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Making Cream Cheese Icing (Option 2)

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.
^{[9]
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Research source} In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until they are evenly combined. You can do this using a handheld beater, a stand mixer, or even a food processor.
^{[10]
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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!

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Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Finishing and Assembling the Cake

1
Trim the tops off of the cake layers, if necessary. 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. ^{[11]
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- Save the tops for munching on later. You can also turn them into delicious blue velvet cake pops.
2
Place a cake layer, top-side-down on a serving plate. 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. ^{[12]
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^{[13]
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4
Place the second layer on top, and spread another ⅓ cup (75 grams) of frosting. 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. ^{[15]
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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.
6
Prepare the crumb coat by diluting ⅓ to ½ cup (75 to 115 grams) of icing with some milk. 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. ^{[16]
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- 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. ^{[17]
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Research source} Once you have added the second coat, let the cake chill for another 15 minutes in the fridge. This sets the crumb coat.
8
Use an offset spatula to coat the cake with the rest of the icing. 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 create "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. ^{[18]
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- 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.

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Expert Q&A

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Question

How do you decorate velvet cake?

Mathew Rice
Professional Baker & Dessert Influencer
Mathew Rice has worked in restaurant pastry kitchens across the country since the late 1990's, and currently owns Pink Door Cookies in Nashville. His creations have been featured in Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Weddings. In 2016, Eater named Mathew one of the top 18 chefs to follow on Instagram. In 2018, he appeared in season 18 of the Food Network's Beat Bobby Flay and won his episode.

Mathew Rice

Professional Baker & Dessert Influencer

Expert Answer

You could color the icing. If you opt to leave the frosting plain, consider decorating with an assortment of blue sprinkles in different shades and styles.

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Tips

If you wish to get an ombre effect, mix all of the cake ingredients together, except for the food coloring. Divide the batter into three equal parts, then stir in the food coloring into each one. Vary the amounts of food coloring so that you have a light blue cake, a medium blue cake, and a dark blue cake. Pour each of these batters into separate pans. ^{[19]
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Omit the violet food coloring to get more of a turquoise-blue color.

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If you really love blue, consider mixing a drop or two of blue food coloring into the icing.

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Things You'll Need

Electric mixer
Mixing bowls
Rubber spatula
Sieve
3 8-inch (20.32-centimeter) cake pans (spring-form recommended)
Serrated knife
Serving plate
Offset cake decorating spatula
Cake decorator's turntable (optional)
Parchment paper or wax paper (optional)

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How to Make Blue Velvet Cake

Ingredients

Steps

Making the Cake

Making Basic Icing (Option 1)

Making Cream Cheese Icing (Option 2)

Finishing and Assembling the Cake

Expert Q&A

Video

Tips

Things You'll Need

You Might Also Like

References

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