Blue Ombre Cake

It's like blue art, but much tastier.   And it's easy enough that if you can frost a cake then you can make it.  If blue isn't your color then you can swap the food coloring for your favorite.

Yield: 16 servings


Ingredients

  • 2 boxes white cake mix (plus oil & eggs)
  • Blue and green food coloring
  • Frosting
    • 6 sticks butter
    • 2 tbsp clear vanilla
    • 4 lbs. confectioners' sugar
    • 6-8 tbsp cold milk

Directions

  1. Prepare the cake batter according to package directions.  Divide evenly into five bowls.  (I found it to be about 2 cups each)
  2. Add food coloring to each bowl as follows:
    • Bowl 1 - Blue: 1
    • Bowl 2 - Blue: 4, Green: 1
    • Bowl 3 - Blue: 7, Green: 1
    • Bowl 4 - Blue: 10, Green: 3
    • Bowl 5 - Blue: 17, Green: 3
  3. Pour the batter into five greased and floured 9" round cake pans.  Bake at 325°F for 20-24 minuntes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely on wire racks.
  4. For the frosting, cream the butter in a large stand mixer.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  Add the sugar in batches mixing thoroughly after each addition.  Once all the sugar has been added, add the milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
  5. Assemble the cake starting with the darkest layer.  Frost the top and sides.  Stack the next darkest layer, frosting the top and sides.  Continue from darkest to lightest until you have a fully assembled cake in white frosting.
  6. Using a pastry bag and star tip, pipe stars across the entire top of the cake.
  7. Return the frosting to the stand mixer.  Add 1 drop blue food coloring and mix well.  Pipe 1 ring of stars on the side.
  8. Repeat step #7 for each ring of stars on the side of the cake, making each row progressively darker.
    • I found that 1 drop per ring didn't get it as dark as I would have liked, but by then it was too late.  I'd recommend doing 2 drops per ring after the first if you want a deeper blue at the base.
  9. Store in the refrigerator.
Adapted from With Sprinkles on Top.












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