Blue Velvet Cake Mix
Abuja, Nigeria · View all recipes
Overview
Blue velvet cake is red velvet cake with the colouring changed, and it belongs to American baking. The flavour is identical: a light vanilla cake with a small amount of cocoa, made distinctive by the reaction between buttermilk, vinegar and cocoa powder. That reaction is the whole idea behind velvet cakes. The acid in buttermilk and vinegar softens the proteins in cake flour, producing a finer, smoother crumb than an ordinary sponge, and the name describes that texture rather than any ingredient. Red velvet is the original; blue is a modern variation achieved with royal blue food colouring and a small drop of violet, the violet being what stops the cake turning turquoise. Its main contemporary use is the gender reveal party, an American social convention of the last two decades, where a blue cake announces a boy and a pink one a girl. There is nothing African about any of this, and the source makes no such claim. It sits in Worldwide Recipes under American, with its URL unchanged. Note also that this is a **cake mix** rather than a finished cake: it is a dry mix intended for storage, with the wet ingredients added later.
Ingredients
Dietary tags come from contributors and AFN does not verify them. They also depend on the products you buy. Recipes here are published for learning, not as medical or dietary advice. If you have an allergy or a medical condition, check every ingredient yourself and talk to a doctor or dietitian. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.
- 2
Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly until well combined.
- 3
Add the blue gel food colouring, adjusting for the depth of colour you want, and mix well.
- 4
If preparing a mix for storage, cut the vegetable shortening into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- 5
If using the mix immediately, leave the shortening out at this stage.
- 6
To bake, preheat the oven to 175°C.
- 7
Grease and flour cake pans, or line a cupcake pan with liners, and pour the batter in evenly.
- 8
Bake at 175°C for 25 to 30 minutes for cakes, or 15 to 20 minutes for cupcakes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- 9
Cool completely before frosting and decorating.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Deborah Olayiwola- The tiny drop of violet is what keeps the colour blue rather than turquoise. Royal blue alone reads green against the cocoa.
- Use gel colouring rather than liquid. Liquid colouring thins the batter and needs far more of it to reach the same depth.
- Buttermilk is not optional in a velvet cake. Its acid is what reacts with the cocoa and softens the crumb, and that reaction is what the name describes.
- This is a dry mix, not a complete recipe. The wet ingredients, eggs, oil and water or milk, are added when you come to bake it.
- Cut the shortening in only if you are storing the mix, and keep it in an airtight container in a cool place.
- Cool completely before frosting. Cream cheese frosting is the standard partner for any velvet cake.
Questions cooks ask
What makes a velvet cake different from a normal cake?
The acid reaction. Buttermilk and vinegar combined with cocoa powder and cake flour soften the flour's proteins, producing a noticeably finer, smoother crumb. The name describes that texture. Almost all velvet cakes are made with buttermilk for exactly this reason, and leaving it out gives an ordinary sponge.
How is blue velvet different from red velvet?
Only the colouring. The flavour is the same light vanilla cake with a dash of chocolate. Blue is achieved with royal blue food colouring plus a small drop of violet, the violet preventing a turquoise cast. The texture is sometimes described as slightly smoother, but the recipes are otherwise identical.
Is this an African recipe?
No, and the source does not claim it is. Velvet cakes are American, and the gender reveal party the source associates it with is an American social convention of the last two decades. It sits in Worldwide Recipes under American, with its URL unchanged.
What is a cake mix as opposed to a cake?
A dry mix combining the flour, sugar, cocoa, raising agents and colouring, made in advance and stored, with the wet ingredients added at baking time. Cutting shortening into the dry mix is what allows it to keep. If you are baking immediately, leave the shortening out and use butter or oil in the batter instead.
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