DIFFERENT SHADES OF BLUE CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan assisted ovens) / Gas Mark 4.
• Mix the eggs, oil, water and Velvety Vanilla Cake mix gently together, and whisk (by hand or electric mixer) for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
• Pour the mixture evenly into your four well-greased cake 4 x 8" tins (or do two 4 x 8" tins at a time).
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 22- 27 minutes or until a rounded knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the 4 x 8" tin then cool on a cooling rack.
• Colour one tub of Vanilla Icing with Food Colouring in a dark blue. Colour the second tub with a shade lighter than the first (use less food colouring). Finally leave the third tub without any colour. Add a dab of icing in the middle of the cake board to keep the sponge in position!
• Ice each of the sponges with a different coloured icing, using ? of the tub on each. Using the darkest colour on the bottom sponge.
• Ice a thin even layer of the uncoloured icing all over and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Fill 3 disposable piping bags with the remaining ? tub of each colour and snip off the ends with scissors. You are now ready to decorate your cake!
• Pipe The darkest icing around the bottom ? of the cake, the next blue around the middle ? and the white around the top ?. Do this quite quickly, before a crust develops on the icing!
• Spread the colours evenly around the sides and smooth with a palette knife. Don’t worry if they blend together, they are supposed to! Don't forget the top!
• Add texture to the cake by using the tip of the pallet knife to run grooves around the sides of the cake. Decorate with some flowers on the top...fabulous!

Steps:

• This recipe assumes you already have an 8- or 9-inch 4-layer cake, frosted between layers with favorite white buttercream frosting, then frosted thinly on outside and top to seal crumbs.
• To make Ombre Buttercream Frosting, in large bowl, beat butter and shortening with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add powdered sugar; beat on low speed until crumbly. Gradually add milk, then vanilla, beating until light and fluffy.
• Measure 1 cup frosting into each of 3 small bowls. Measure 2 cups frosting into fourth bowl; mix 1/8 teaspoon blue food color into the 2 cups frosting with whisk or fork.
• Add a little more food color to the next bowl of frosting to get a shade darker; mix well with whisk or fork. Repeat with next 2 bowls frosting, making each another shade darker. You will end up with 4 bowls of frosting, all different shades of the same color.
• Spread darkest blue frosting around bottom third of cake. Spread next darkest shade blue frosting above first one around middle third of cake. Spread next shade of blue frosting around upper third of cake. Spread lightest blue frosting on top of cake.