St Patricks Day Green Velvet Layer Cake Recipes

GREEN VELVET CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment, spray the parchment, and set pans aside.
• Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Combine the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and vinegar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set to medium until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
• With mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Again with mixer on low, beat in the buttermilk, then the food coloring. Use a rubber spatula to mix the batter a few times, taking care to scrape up from the bottom and ensure the flour is totally mixed in.
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Set the pans on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of each cake layer. Gently invert each cake layer onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
• (Once the cake layers are cool you can wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to a day before frosting.)
• Beat the butter and cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl until smooth.
• Beat in the vanilla and salt. With mixer on low, gradually beat in 4 cups of powdered sugar.
• Once all the sugar is incorporated, turn mixer to medium and beat until the frosting is smooth. If frosting is too thick, beat in a little milk. If it's too thin, beat in more powdered sugar.
• Use a long serrated knife to trim the cake layers if they've domed. Place one cake layer on a cake stand or cardboard cake circle and spread a layer of frosting on top.
• Top with a second cake layer, more frosting, and then the third layer.
• Frost cake with the remaining frosting and decorate as desired. Serve.
• Uneaten cake can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY GREEN VELVET CUPCAKE SHAMROCKS

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and spray with cooking spray. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the buttermilk, food coloring and vanilla in a spouted measuring cup; set aside.
• Beat the granulated sugar and butter in a stand mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer) on medium speed until very light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer still on medium, slowly add the eggs and beat until fully incorporated. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting; with the mixer running, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture, then 1/2 of the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining buttermilk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides and beat until well mixed. Fill the prepared liners about 3/4 full of batter. Bake until the cupcakes bounce back when pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• For the frosting: Put the flour in a small saucepan. Vigorously whisk in about 1/2 cup milk, making sure to get the whisk into the edges of the pan, until you have a smooth, thick paste. (This step keeps the flour from clumping.) Slowly whisk in the remaining milk until fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is very thick, about 5 minutes. (Toward the end of the process, the mixture will become a thick paste; it may seem to be forming lumps, but whisk vigorously and the lumps will disappear.) Scrape into a bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate until cool, about 45 minutes.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the cooled flour mixture a tablespoon at a time and beat until smooth. Switch to the whisk attachment (or continue with the hand mixer), add the vanilla, salt and 3 to 5 drops green food coloring and whip until very light and fluffy, like thick whipped cream, up to 10 minutes with a stand mixer or 12 minutes with a hand mixer.
• To assemble: Using a sharp serrated knife, cut 3 cupcakes in half vertically, gently sawing through the paper liners; set aside. Frost the remaining cupcakes. Put the sanding sugar on a small plate and roll the edge of each cupcake 3/4 of the way around in the sugar, making a green border around each with a gap on one side. On a large serving platter, arrange 18 cupcakes in groups of three, pushing them together at the gaps, to make 6 shamrock cakes. Dip the tops of the cupcake halves in sugar and wedge a pointy end of 1 half between 2 of the cupcakes in each group to form the stems.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY GREEN VELVET LAYER CAKE RECIPE - (4.6/5)

Steps:

• CAKE: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line with parchment and butter the parchment; set aside. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the buttermilk, food coloring and vanilla in a spouted measuring cup; set aside. Beat the 2 cups of granulated sugar and 1 cup of room temperature butter in a stand mixer, or a large bowl if using a hand mixer, on medium speed until very light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer still running, slowly add the eggs and beat until fully incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to the lowest speed; with it running, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture, then 1/2 of the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining buttermilk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides and beat until well mixed. Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in the pan, then turn out to cool completely. FROSTING: Put the flour in a small saucepan. Vigorously whisk in about 1/2 cup of the milk, making sure to get the whisk into the edges of the pan, until you have a smooth, thick paste. This step keeps the flour from clumping. Slowly whisk in the remaining milk until fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture is very thick, about 5 minutes. Toward the end of the process, the mixture will become a thick paste; it may seem to be forming lumps, but whisk vigorously and the lumps will disappear. Scrape the frosting into a bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate until cool, about 45 minutes. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the 1 1/2 cups of room temperature butter and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the cooled flour mixture a tablespoon at a time and beat until smooth. Switch to the whisk attachment (or continue with the hand mixer), add the vanilla, salt and 3 to 5 drops food coloring if using and whip until very light and fluffy, like thick whipped cream, up to 10 minutes with a stand mixer or 12 minutes with a hand mixer. To assemble, place one layer on a cake plate, spread frosting on top and repeat with the 2 remaining layers. Frost the sides and decorate with candies and sanding sugar if using.