Blue Velvet Cake

Y’all this blue velvet cake is straight up fire! The moist, tender texture with a hint of cocoa gives you all the red velvet vibes but in a fun unexpected blue package. And let’s not forget that tangy perfectly whipped cream cheese frosting that offsets that hint of cocoa in the cake batter. Listen boos, once you try this blue velvet cake recipe, you will become beyond obsessed with it.

They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:

“I showed this to my husband and his first words were “I must have that!”. How fun is a blue velvet cake! The added coffee is perfection. It was delicious! WILL make again.”

—APRIL

If you love you some red velvet cake, this blue velvet cake recipe will become a fave no doubt. It’s got that signature super moist texture with just a smidge of cocoa powder and coffee to bring out the slight chocolate undertones. Then it’s got that rich beyond tangy cream cheese frosting that sets the whole thing off. The only difference is this baby is blue! Serve it up for a boy’s baby shower or come up with another occasion that’s equally fun, and I bet this will be a hit!

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The Lowdown of This Blue Velvet Cake Recipe

Cuisine Inspiration: Southern vibes

Primary Cooking Method: Baking

Dietary Info: Super, rich and indulgent. Can be made gluten-free with ingredient swaps.

Key Flavor: Velvety moist cake with subtle cocoa notes with tangy cream cheese topping

Skill Level: Not too hard boos

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Texture

The texture of this cake is seriously unreal. It is so moist and soft that it’s almost like biting into a cloud boo.

Unexpected yet Striking Color

When you need a little remix to switch things up, this is the recipe to make. This blue velvet cake has such a vibrant color that’s perfect for unique celebrations.

Pretty Straightforward

The recipe itself ain’t hard at all. You can easily whip this no-fuss cake batter and frosting up. The only more challenging part is adding the icing which I am sure you can master boo.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make this Blue Velvet Cake Recipe

• Flour: I go with all-purpose because the cake texture is super soft and tender so I need a more sturdy foundation which this provides.
• Granulated Sugar: We gotta sweeten this blue red velvet cake up just right.
• Cocoa Powder: Add just a hint since velvet cakes have very subtle cocoa flavor.
• Baking Soda and Salt: We gotta give this cake a nice lift while also enhancing and balancing the sweetness.
• Vegetable Oil: This is legit one of the most moist cakes ever, and this oil is one of the reasons why.
• Buttermilk: Y’all know this is a classic velvet cake ingredient. It adds moisture and wonderful tangy flavor.
• Eggs: These bind all of our ingredients together and give more structure.
• Coffee: This is my little trick for deepening the cocoa notes.
• Vanilla Extract: Nothing gives aromatic warmth like this. Make sure it’s pure and not that imitation stuff boos.
• Vinegar: I use apple cider vinegar for more flavor and earthy tang while also working with the baking soda to make a super fluffy cake.
• Food Coloring: The coloring adds that vibrant kickin color that pops.
• Butter and Cream Cheese: These two are the base of the fluffy and rich yet tangy frosting.
• Confectioner’s Sugar: This always creates the fluffiest and light frosting ever.

How to Make Blue Velvet Cake

Step 1: Mix The Batter and Bake It Up

1

In your stand mixer, add the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. I fit my stand mixer with the whisk attachment to add more air to the finished cake.

2

Then add the oil and buttermilk.

3

Next add in the eggs one at a time, followed by the remaining wet ingredients including the food coloring. Mix until just combined.

4

Pour the batter equally between greased and lined cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Step 2: Make the Frosting

5

Add butter and cream cheese to the bowl of your mixer and beat on high speed then add in your powdered sugar with the mixer slowed down.

6

Once all sugar has incorporated, turn mixer back to high to continue whipping.

7

Add salt and vanilla and continue whipping until it is smooth.

8

Once layers are cooled, place 1 layer on a serving plate. Spread just the top with 1/3 of the frosting. Add the second layer and spread with another 1/3 of the frosting. Add the final layer, bottom-side up, and top with the remaining frosting.

How to Serve Blue Red Velvet Cake

• Southern Comfort Meal: Go old-school with some fried chicken, flaky biscuits, Southern baked macaroni and cheese and honey cornbread.
• Baby Boy Shower Brunch: Serve up candied bacon, fun colorful homemade pop tarts, angel biscuits and a beautiful breakfast board.
• Birthday Bash Buffet: Make this blue velvet cake the centerpiece of a treats buffet full of oreo bars, vanilla cupcakes with sprinkles, chocolate sugar cookies, and brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
• Holiday Celebration Remix: Serve up some roasted turkey legs, cornbread dressing, candied sweet potatoes, collard greens and an unexpected blue velvet layer cake.

Recipe Substitutions

• Granulated Sugar: You can use a light brown sugar as a swap to add a richer molasses hint to the cake. Just keep in mind that this could tint your cake a bit brown.
• Confectioner’s Sugar: If you have granulated sugar around, you can make your own powdered sugar.
• Vanilla Extract: Use almond extract for a unique flavor profile or go with stronger vanilla by using a vanilla bean paste.
• Butter: You can use salted here and just leave out the salt in the recipe.
• Vinegar: If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, white vinegar is fine to use.

Recipe Variations and Additions

• Gluten-Free: Use your fave 1:1 ratio gluten-free baking flour. The texture will change slightly but it will still taste amazing.
• Spice It Up: Make this blue velvet cake pop with the addition of some ground cinnamon or pie spice in the batter.
• Add More Cocoa: If you want less subtle and more intense, go with a little more cocoa powder in your batter. However, the color of the cake will be less vibrant, just fyi.
• Switch Up the Buttercream: Go with a different vibe by adding a caramel frosting or Swiss meringue buttercream instead of the standard cream cheese frosting.

Expert Tips and Tricks 

• No Dutch Processed Cocoa: Don’t use dutch here. It will make the color of the blue much darker and murkier.
• Firm Up Your Layers: These cake layers are very very tender so I also like to make sure they cool completely and even freeze a bit before frosting.
• Got food coloring everywhere except the cake?: Here’s a trick, if you have a bit of food coloring on your hands that looks as if it’s going to linger or stain, try rubbing it with a face cloth of white vinegar or a baking soda paste.
• Get the Right Blue: To get the perfect color, you will need to do some mixing and use quality food coloring. Here we actually used a mix of 2 tsp Sky blue and 1/8th tsp violet gel food coloring to get this coloring.

How to Store Leftovers

Leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge due to the cream cheese frosting. Make sure you bring slices back to room temperature before you serve them up.

How long will the blue red velvet cake last in the fridge?

It should last in the fridge for up to 6 days.

Can I freeze blue velvet cake?

Absolutely boos. This cake can also be frozen for up to 3 months! Thaw overnight in the fridge the day before you plan to enjoy then bring slices back to room temp before indulging.

Frequently Asked Questions

When you want a fun remix on the classic, make this blue velvet cake. It’s super exciting to pull out when you want to impress your guests. The cake is beyond tender and moist and that cream cheese frosting truly sets it off. Time to get into it boos.

More Velvet Recipes

• Classic Red Velvet Cake
• Red Velvet Lava Cake
• Red Velvet Bundt Cake
• Red Velvet Marble Cake
• Red Velvet Cake Roll

Blue Velvet Cake

This Blue Velvet Cake, a twist on the classic red velvet cake, is a tender, moist cocoa hinted blue colored cake paired with a tangy rich cream cheese frosting.

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

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Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Course: Dessert

Servings: 22 servings

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• ▢ 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 1/4 cup strong coffee hot
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ food coloring to create blue look at notes below

For the Cream Cheese Whipped Frosting:

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 32 oz cream cheese somewhat softened but still a little stiff
• ▢ 7 cups confectioner's sugar to stiffen more, go up another cup
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ 2 tsp plus ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

For the Cake:

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Liberally prepare 3 9-inch round cake pans with the nonstick method of your choice. I used non stick spray and parchment paper for an easy release.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and mix on low speed. Slowly add the oil and buttermilk.
• Increase the speed to medium-low and add the eggs 1 at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Slowly add the coffee, vanilla extract, vinegar, and food coloring. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
• Evenly pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 20 to 27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a layer comes out clean. Do not overbake.
• Let the layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks. Let cool to room temperature. Lightly cover the cakes with foil or plastic wrap so they do not dry out.

For the Cream Cheese Whipped Frosting:

• Add butter and cream cheese to the bowl of your mixer and beat on high speed until it begins to thicken and fluff.
• Next slow down mixer and carefully add in confectioner’s sugar. Once all sugar has incorporated, turn mixer back to high to continue whipping.
• Add salt and vanilla extract and continue whipping until it is smooth.

To Assemble:

• Once the layers are completely cooled, place 1 layer on a serving plate. Spread just the top with 1/3 of the frosting. Add the second layer and spread with another 1/3 of the frosting. Add the final layer, bottom-side up, and top with the remaining frosting. Only frost the sides if you wish. Serve at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Notes

The cake layers can be quite tender, so feel free to refrigerate them (20 to 30 minutes should do it) to firm them up and make them easier to work with when frosting.

Food Coloring

Storing Leftover Blue Velvet Cake

• Leftover cake should be stored in an airtight container within the refrigerator due to the cream cheese frosting.
• Cake can also be frozen for up to 3 months! Thaw overnight in the refrigerator the day before you plan to enjoy.

How to get the Perfect Blue color

• Unlike red velvet, unfortunately you can’t just head to the grocery store and grab a bottle of blue food coloring. It won’t result in the same saturation and vibrancy. To get the perfect color, you will need to do some mixing and use quality food coloring.
• Some like to create a blue with a couple drops of black and red.
• Here we actually used a mix of 2 tsp Sky blue and 1/8th tsp violet gel food coloring to get this coloring.
• Feel free to play around and figure out what will best work for the color you want. The brown from the cocoa makes it much harder to achieve this.
• Or if you (If you have a specific amount of each I recommend adding it here). Use a rubber spatula to continuously fold the cream cheese frosting on itself until the frosting color is consistent.

Nutrition

Calories: 506kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 411mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 854IU | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg

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