Blue Velvet Cake

A fun and delicious twist on theclassic Red Velvet Cake! Moist and fluffy layers of cake with just a hint of chocolate,tangy cream cheese frosting, and fresh blueberries!

A few years back on a trip toLos Angeles with my mom, we came uponalovely little dessert shop called Milk. They’re a wildlypopular place for both locals and tourists, whichwe discovered when we saw the line go out the door! Luckily though,waiting in such a long line allows you to take thetime you’ll definitely need todecidewhat to get at this GLORIOUS dessert heaven.

With such a wide array of both baked goods and ice creams, it’s absolutely impossible to pick justone of their treats. From their homemade butterscotch Drumsticks to their aesthetically-pleasing macaron ice cream sandwiches, this is the place to go for those Instagram-worthy photos. And one treat that’s made several appearances on the Gram is their mesmerizing Blue Velvet Cake.

Before I discovered Milk, the only “Velvet” cake I knew of was Red Velvet. Never had I seen a cake look asvibrantly blue as this! So of course, I just HAD to get a slice.

And it tasted just as magnificent as it looked. Superbly moist with just a hint of cocoa powder and lusciously tart cream cheese frosting, similar to Red Velvet Cake. Other than the color, the only other difference between this Blue Velvet Cake and traditional Red Velvet was that there were blueberries between the layers. It was a cake that Iknew I had to replicate in my own kitchen someday…

And I finally did it! Not only did I achieve the same vibrantly blue hue that I was aiming for, but the cakehas that wonderfullymoist crumb and the perfect flavor balance between cocoa and vanilla. The cake is dense, yet soft with not a dry crumb in sight.

To achieve this magically blue hue, I used the same trick I had done with my Blue Velvet Muffins. Instead of just adding a bunch ofblue food coloring, I combined a good amount of blue with a little violet/purple food coloring. To be more specific, I used 1 Tablespoon of Wilton’s Sky Blue gel food coloringand 1/2 teaspoon Wilton’s Violet gel food coloring. When it comes to tinting batter, I prefer to use the gel food coloring over the liquid kind since the color is more concentrated.

Also,make sure that you use NATURAL cocoa powder and not Dutch-processed. While Dutch-processed cocoa powder is great for a richer chocolate flavor, it’s much darker,causing the batter to be darker as well, thus making it more difficult to achieve the bright blue that you want.

As for the frosting, there’s definitely a reason why you won’t find a Red or Blue Velvet Cake slathered in any other frosting than cream cheese frosting. (And if you do, those are imposters!) Not only does its lusciously sweet tanginess complimentthe cake’s cocoa flavor so well, but itsthick and creamytexture pairs perfectly with the cake’s velvety crumb. Plus,it couldn’t be any easier to make! Just beat together some cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt (to cut the sweetness), and you’re ready to frost!

A fun and delicious twist on theclassic Red Velvet Cake! Moist and fluffy layers of cake with just a hint of chocolate,tangy cream cheese frosting, and fresh blueberries!

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Ingredients

Cake:

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup sour cream
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon vinegar
½ cup buttermilk*
1 Tablespoon blue food coloring*
½ teaspoon violet food coloring*

Cream Cheese Frosting:

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
10 ounces cream cheese
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon almond extract
5 cups powdered sugar
Fresh Blueberries

Instructions

Make the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line four 6-inch round baking pans with parchment paper, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla, and vinegaron medium speed.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Whiskthe food colorings into the buttermilk, then pour it into the batter. Mix until just combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Divide batter among the four cake pans.Bake for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and almond extract together on medium-high speed until smooth, 2-4 minutes.Gradually add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue beating until creamy.

To Assemble:

Using a serrated knife or a cake leveler, trim off the the tops of the cakes to create a flat surface. Crumble these scraps into small crumbs; set aside.
Place one cake layer onto a cake plate or pedestal. Spread a layer of cream cheese frostingon top. Press fresh blueberries randomly throughout the frosting layer. Repeat steps with the remaining cakes, frosting, and blueberries.
Frost the sides and top of the cake. Press the cake crumbsall over the sides of the cake until covered. Pipe frosting rosettes around the top border, if desired. Keep cake covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.

Notes

*I ended up using 1 Tablespoon Wilton's Sky Blue gel food coloring and 1/2 teaspoon of Wilton's Violet gel food coloring.

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