Snowflake Cake Recipe

This blue velvet snowflake cake is incredibly moist, with the most delicious tang! It's just as delicious as it is beautiful. 

Ingredients
Blue Velvet Cake Layers

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (390 grams)
• 3 cups granulated sugar (600 grams)
• 2 tsp baking powder (13 grams)
• 1 tsp baking soda (6 grams)
• 1 tsp salt (5 grams)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226 grams) – 2 sticks
• 1 cup of egg whites, or 7 egg whites (210 grams)
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature (360 grams)
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil (28 grams)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract (9 grams)
• 2 tsp vinegar (9 grams)
• Sky blue gel food coloring

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

• 3 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (678 grams)
• 11 cups powdered sugar (1375 grams) - or about 1.5 lbs
• 1 tsp salt (6 grams)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (or whipping cream) (115 grams)
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (12 grams)

Additional Tools

• snowflake template
• 2 toothpicks

Instructions
Blue Velvet Cake Layers

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line three eight-inch pans or three eight-inch round pans with parchment rounds, and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Mix together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until fully combined.
3. Mix chunks of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture looks crumbly.
4. On a low speed, mix in eggs one at a time. Beat on low until just incorporated. Mix in the buttermilk in two installments, on a low speed. Add in vinegar, vanilla and oil, and mix at a low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
5. Divide the batter evenly between three bowls, and use increasing amounts of blue gel food coloring to create ombre blue cake layers.
6. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 35-37 minutes (or until a skewer comes out clean).
7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the pan to separate the cake from the pan. Place cake layers into the freezer for 45 minutes, to accelerate the cooling process.
8. Once the layers have fully cooled, I like to trim the caramelized bits from the sides of the layers using a serrated knife. While these layers bake pretty flat, sometimes I’ll also trim the top of the layers too, to get my layers perfectly level.
9. Next, torte the layers but cutting each layer in half horizontally.

Vanilla Frosting

1. Beat the butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment, until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Alternate with small splashes of cream.
2. Once fully mixed, add in the vanilla and salt, and beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated, and the desired consistency is reached.
3. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional cream (1 teaspoon at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (quarter of a cup at a time).

Cake Assembly

1. Frost and assemble the cake, spreading a thin layer of frosting between each cake layer.
2. Crumb coat the cake, and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes. When the crumb coat is firm to the touch, add and smooth a second, thicker layer of frosting.
3. Chill the cake in the freezer for 20 minutes, then lightly dab a mixture of vodka (or lemon extract) and sky blue gel food coloring onto the side of the cake using a small sterile sponge.
4. Place the cake back in the fridge for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of leftover frosting with and one extra Tbsp of heavy cream. Carefully secure the template to the side of the cake using toothpicks.
5. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the template using an offset spatula. Remove one toothpick, and slowly peel the template off the cake. Repeat pattern on the other half of the cake.
6. Color any remaining frosting blue, and pipe swirls onto the top of the cake.