BEAUTIFUL BLUE CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 10-inch cake pans. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl.
• Beat the shortening and white sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the mixture before adding the next. Beat in the food coloring, 1 teaspoon blueberry extract, and apple cider vinegar with the last egg. Pour in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Beat the butter with the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in 1 teaspoon of blueberry extract, then whip until light and fluffy. Once cake has cooled, spread with icing, and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Steps:

• Position racks in oven so cake will bake in the middle of the oven.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, set aside.
• Place flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a sifter.
• Sift into a bowl and repeat two more times.
• Whisk well to combine all dry ingredients and set aside.
• In a separate bowl mix butter at medium speed until soft and creamy (about 60 seconds).
• With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar, pausing to scrape down sides.
• Continue beating at medium speed until the mixture is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Slowly drizzle in the eggs and beat well, stopping to scrape down the sides.
• Add the vanilla and food coloring and blend well.
• You may wish to add a little red to give a more blueish versus green tone to your cake, depending on your brand of food color.
• Gel food color will not dilute your batter, but liquid food color will work fine too.
• Using the mixer on low speed, fold in about one-third of the flour mixture, then half of the the buttermilk, scraping down the sides of the bowl and folding just until the ingredients are incorporated.
• In the same manner, fold in half of the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining buttermilk, and finally the remaining flour mixture.
• Divide batter evenly between the two pans.
• Smooth surfaces with rubber spatula.
• Bake until each cake layer springs back when lightly touched in the center with your fingertip and a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted (about 25-30 minutes).