Blue Velvet Layer Cake with Natural Blue Food Color (Water-Soluble Extract)

Blue Velvet Layer Cake with Natural Blue Food Color (Water-Soluble Extract)

Dolce Flav

Servings

16

Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Category

Natural Blue Food Color Water Soluble

This velvet-style layer cake combines light cocoa notes with cream cheese buttercream. Follow the cake formula and choose a blue food color explicitly suitable for the application. Dolce Flav Natural Blue Food Color is spirulina-based and recommended for cold applications, so use it in the cooled frosting rather than assuming it will retain a vivid blue shade during baking.

Ingredients

    Cake

    • 2â…” cups (340 g) cake flour (or all-purpose + 2 tbsp cornstarch)
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • ½ tsp fine salt
    • 2 tbsp (12 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (gives classic velvet hint)
    • 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
    • ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
    • 3 large eggs, room temperature
    • 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 tbsp white vinegar (or 1 tbsp lemon juice)
    • Blue food color suitable for baking — optional, following that product’s directions. The linked Dolce Flav Natural Blue Food Color is for cooled frosting decoration, not this hot cake batter.
    • Optional: 1 tbsp vegetable oil (for extra moisture)

    Cream Cheese Buttercream

    • 8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, cold
    • ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
    • 3–4 cups (360–480 g) powdered sugar, sifted (adjust to taste/consistency)
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • Pinch of salt

    Directions

    1. Prep the oven & pans

      Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans; dust lightly with flour or use parchment rounds for easy release.

    2. Whisk dry ingredients

      In a medium bowl, sift (or whisk) together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

    3. Cream butter and sugar

      In a large bowl, cream the room-temperature butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3–4 minutes). Scrape down sides.

    4. Add eggs & flavor

      Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix in vanilla extract and optional oil.

    5. Alternate dry & buttermilk

      With mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with buttermilk (dry → buttermilk → dry → buttermilk → dry). Mix just until combined — do not overmix.

    6. Add vinegar; select color by application

      Stir the vinegar into the batter. For a blue cake crumb, use only a food color whose current directions explicitly support baking, at its stated use rate. Do not add the linked spirulina-based Natural Blue Food Color to this hot-baked batter; its current guidance recommends cold applications. You can instead bake the cake without blue batter color and tint the cooled frosting. Drops do not have a universal teaspoon equivalent.

    7. Bake

      Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Smooth tops and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Rotate pans halfway if your oven bakes unevenly.

    8. Cool completely

      Let cakes cool in pans 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting (avoid frosting warm cake to prevent melting).

    9. Make cream cheese buttercream

      With a mixer, beat cold cream cheese and room-temp butter until smooth. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar until you reach desired sweetness and pipeable consistency. Add vanilla and a pinch of salt; beat until silky.

    10. Assemble & decorate

      Level the fully cooled cake layers if needed. Spread buttercream between the layers, add a crumb coat and chill for 20–30 minutes before applying the final frosting. For a blue finish, mix Natural Blue Food Color into a small portion of the cooled frosting according to current product guidance, then blend in gradually to reach the desired shade. Keep a record of the quantity and frosting weight; do not convert drops to teaspoons using a fixed ratio. Decorate as desired.