Blou Velvet Koek
cake:
2 cups sugar
2 sticks of unsalted room temperature butter [i've learned that keeping it out the night before really REALLY helps]
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon royal blue food coloring
1 small dab of violet food coloring [use a toothpick to get the dab]
2 1/2 cups cake flower
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
frosting:
1 pound of cream cheese [at room temperature]
2 sticks of room temperature unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1 package of blueberries [about half a cup]
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 2 8-inch cake pans. Line bottom of cake pans with fitted parchment paper rounds and grease everything again with butter or Pam.
Cream sugar and butter in a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each one.
In a smaller bowl mix cocoa powder and food coloring together. *I didn’t get it all mixed thoroughly, because the food coloring i used was a gel, so i kind of mashed it together and then dumped everything into the sugar mixture.
Sift flour and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to the sugar mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Start and end with flour. Mix in vanilla extract.
Combine baking soda and vinegar in a smaller bowl, then add to the cake mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix one last time.
Fill cake pans half way full with batter and bake for 20 minutes* [for me and my weird oven it took 20 minutes, but i think mine runs hotter than most. Most people have said it takes 30-40 minutes, but i go by whether or not a toothpick comes clean in the middle, so check often with a toothpick or a knife.]
Keep on wire rack until completely cooled.
*I took my cakes out, let it cool for about 45 minutes, when they felt not so scalding hot, i flipped them over onto a wire cooling rack lined with parchment paper and then stuck the whole rack with the cakes on it into the freezer for about 30 minutes. It kind of speeds up the cooling process.
Frosting time:
Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth and combined.
Add powdered sugar gradually and taste along the way, stop adding sugar when it gets to your desired sweetness.
Frost bottom layer first, then add blueberries in an even tight packed layer. Frost one side of your top cake layer and place the frosted side down on top of the blueberries. Frost the top of your now 2-layered cake and then around the sides. Top with a blueberry or whatever else you want!
