The Blue Velvet Cake That Proves Blue Is the New Red

Red velvet has already been in the limelight. Looking to add a blue twist to your cake?

The crumb and cream cheese frosting are like you already know and love but with a twist of colour, a blue velvet cake. Choose electric blue, royal blue, deep navy, teal or turquoise and get a completely different look every time. For an extra floral touch use Blue Premium Artificial Foam Roses.

Making a birthday cake, gender reveal cake or just making a cake as blue is your favourite colour? Your blue velvet cake can be a perfect fit for the occasion and yet still leave everyone with a memorable surprise when you slice into the cake.

What Is a Blue Velvet Cake?

What is the difference between a blue velvet cake and an ordinary blue cake? The cake has a sponge made from cocoa and is coloured blue, and it is normally topped with cream cheese frosting.

The recipe uses the same basic method as that of red velvet; cocoa powder imparts a mild chocolate taste to the sponge, and the oil keeps the crumb soft and velvety. Buttermilk and white wine vinegar contribute to tenderising the gluten, thus giving the cake its fine, moist texture. No buttermilk in the refrigerator? A quick and easy substitute is to add a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to full fat milk and let it sit for 5 minutes so that it curdles slightly.

Use natural cocoa powder in your blue velvet cake recipe, and avoid the use of Dutch-processed cocoa. Dutch processed cocoa is dark and alkaline and can be much more difficult to achieve a bright blue colour. If you’re looking for a lighter starting base, try natural cocoa that will allow the blue to come through.

When frosting, use Blue Beyond Sprinkles to add pops of colour. Pastel Blue Cloud Topper or Cake Star Topper Sky Blue Booties can be great for birthday and baby cakes, for a more decorative cake. So what is the difference between red velvet cake vs blue velvet cake? Mostly it is the colouring. Everything else remains the same.

Red Velvet vs Blue Velvet Cake

In terms of deciding whether one wants to go for a blue red velvet cake or a red velvet cake, there are no differences except the appearance of the cake. The methods of preparation remain the same.

Red velvet is something that guests will easily recognise, whereas blue velvet seems more modern and less anticipated. If you place a blue and red velvet cake next to each other and cut into both of them, the crumbs of the two colours provide a vivid contrast against the white cream cheese frosting. A Blue Splatter Cake Stand can also be used along with the blue theme when serving the cake.

Blue velvet goes well with neat and modern cake designs, particularly when the cool blue crumb is combined with white frosting. Remember to tell your guests beforehand that a blue sponge which is highly coloured may leave a blue tinge on the tongue. Although this is not harmful it is due to the food colouring.

Choosing the Right Blue

The type of shade you choose can affect the entire appearance of your blue velvet cake.

• Choose the electric blue if you want a bold birthday cake or a colourful party centrepiece.
• Royal blue is a more intense blue, suitable for formal occasions and for milestone birthdays.
• The Navy shade is suitable for adult occasions or for a dramatic drip cake.
• Turquoise velvet cake: is the shade between the green and blue shades; it will be perfect for ocean themes, mermaid cakes, and summer parties.
• Pastel blue: mild and light, works best with baby shower cakes and gender reveals. Pearlised Blue Sugar Balls can also be added for a simple blue decoration.

To create your blue velvet cake recipe, use the blue gel colouring with some violet. One tablespoon of sky blue with half a teaspoon of violet will give you the deeper blue shade and will neutralize the brownish shade of the cocoa powder. Without violet, cocoa may tend to give the batter a greenish-grey colour when baked.

It is recommended to use gel colouring rather than the liquid colour because the liquid colours might turn grey and greenish while baking. A combination of Electric Purple Soft Gel Paste and Electric Blue Soft Gel Paste will allow you to be more precise with the colour and preserve its blue tint in the process of baking.

The Blue Velvet Chocolate Cake

When making a blue velvet chocolate cake, there is an additional twist on the traditional recipe in which there is an addition of more cocoa than in a normal blue velvet sponge. This will give the cake a darker flavour of chocolate.

The combination is perfect over dark chocolate ganache drip over white cream cheese frosting, where the blue crumb will only be exposed as you slice. With no tempering or preparation required, Chocolate Dripz Dark Chocolate is perfect for the dramatic twist of a dark blue velvet cake, as it is a ready-to-use drip that pours easily and sets with a shiny finish.

Blue Velvet Cake Mix: The Easy Alternative

If you don’t want to go through all the trouble of making everything from scratch, you can try using a blue velvet cake mix. Using a basic white or vanilla sponge mix is a good starting point for creating the blue colour and the velvet texture of the cake.

Just follow the directions provided on the packaging, and add your preferred blue gel food colouring, white wine vinegar, and buttermilk. These two ingredients will make the sponge velvety, and you should keep them in the recipe even when using a mix.

Since your blue velvet cake is going to be soft and moist, do not split the layers while they are still warm. After the sponge has cooled down completely, wrap up each layer and put them in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes; the layers will then be easier to level and split without breaking or crumbling.

Decorating a Blue Velvet Cake

Since the blue velvet cake already has a deep colour within it, the outer part should be kept simple so that the colour can stand out.

Classic approach:

• All sides covered with smooth white cream cheese frosting.
• Leave the blue crumb cake unseen until the very first cut of the cake is made.
• Top with gold sprinkles or lustre dust for the simple celebration look. To achieve a soft touch, use BLUE, WHITE & GOLD Wafer Decorations to decorate the frosting surface. Funcakes Metallic Sugar Rods can also be added for extra detail.

Modern semi-naked method:

• Around the sides, scrape on a thin layer of cream cheese frosting, making sure that the blue sponge is still slightly visible through the coating.
• Put some fresh blueberries and edible flowers into the frosting between the layers and around the base so that the colour matches.
• Keep the frosting that is obtained when scraping. Instead of getting rid of them, the blue crumbs mixed in with it can be used as filling for cake pops.

Textured Crumb Coat

• Apply cream cheese frosting with a textured layer to cover the cake, leaving some blue crumbs showing.
• This style is the one linked with Milk, the dessert shop in Los Angeles which is frequently given the credit for having popularised the blue velvet format.
• Complete by adding a drip of white ganache over the top.

The Red, Blue and white sprinkle mixes are great options to give the colour from inside to outside of your cake and they work great with the blue and red velvet cake idea or any other colour combination.

Frosting and Filling Options

Cream cheese frosting is the traditional choice when decorating velvet cakes, but there are a number of other alternatives available depending on the flavour and the occasion.

• The cream cheese frosting has a tangy and slightly sharp flavour which complements the cocoa in the sponge; if the cake is being served in warm or humid conditions then a little shortening should be mixed in with the butter so that the frosting becomes more stable and doesn’t soften or slide.
• Vanilla buttercream is sweeter than cream cheese frosting and more stable when the conditions are warm, which makes it a useful option for event cakes that have to be left out for several hours.
• White chocolate ganache is a more rich filling which is especially suitable when used with blue velvet chocolate cake if a stronger chocolate flavour is desired.
• Mascarpone and whipped cream are lighter in consistency and less sweet than buttercream, which is why they are appropriate for use at summer celebrations and garden parties.
• Between the layers, press in some fresh blueberries: By pressing the fresh blueberries into the frosting between each layer of sponge, a burst of genuine blueberry flavour is added and the filling is connected with the blue colour of the cake.

A Vanilla Delicious Light and Fluffy Buttercream provides a smooth and stable base for your frosting and great additions of flavourings and colouring to add to large orders, tiered blue velvet cake and more.

Blue Velvet Cake for Every Occasion

For any event, from baby showers to weddings, enjoy a blue velvet cake for every occasion!

• Gender reveal: blue crumb in a white or neutral shape, which is exposed at the time of cut.
• For the birthday cake, select one that is either electric blue or royal blue in colour and combine it with a boldly decorated outer surface and include some gold details such as Metallic Gold Edge Satin Ribbon Royal Blue.
• When it comes to a mermaid-themed cake, opt for turquoise velvet cake with blue and green colouring along with a pearl-like lustre finish.
• For the wedding, use a navy or midnight blue crumb covered by an elegant white fondant with only minimal decoration.
• For Christmas, get a festive cake in the form of a deep royal blue crumb with silver and white decorations so that it will be an unexpected holiday cake.

The Coloured sugarpaste in blue shades allows you to have the fondant coating in either blue or any contrasting shade of blue, which would make it appropriate for wedding cakes as well as any other blue velvet cake ideas.

Blue Is the New Red

A blue velvet cake is more than just a change of colour from red to blue; you can also play with the colour, leave the middle with white frosting or top with some fresh blueberries between layers, or go all out and use dark chocolate and navy colours.

The true magic happens when you take the first slice and see the blue crumbs inside. They can be soft pastel shades or more dramatic midnight shades, depending on the occasion, you can choose a colour that matches it. Just pick the colour you prefer, select the filling that you love, and have the inside of the cake be the part that everyone is looking forward to.

It is all about cake decorating supplies, the proper gel colours, sprinkles, and finishing products, and you can convert a regular sponge into a truly special cake with a beautiful blue center.