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    Home » Desserts

    Midnight Blue Velvet Cupcakes

    Published: Feb 16, 2017 Updated: Jun 28, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegan Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Velvet Frosting

    Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Velvet Frosting - Moist, spongey, velvety and delicious! #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert

    It was about 7pm on a Saturday night. The night before my niece’s 6th birthday.

    I’d had a busy week and though I had had it in the back of my mind to ask my sister if she wanted me to bake something I hadn’t got around to it.

    So I decided to give my sister a quick call to confirm arrangements for the next day. I thought she might have ordered a cake as she has done that before.

    My niece answered the phone and dropped the bombshell:

    ‘Please can you bring galaxy cupcakes for my birthday?’ she asked.

    ‘Uh…. I don’t really know what those are!’ I replied.

    ‘It’s easy – I can help you make them’ she volunteered.

    ‘I don’t think we have time to make them together cos it’s already quite late now’ I told the eager little baker.

    As soon as I got off the phone I sprang into action, using google to find out everything about galaxy cupcakes and what the heck they even are! I discovered that they are usually midnight blue or some sort of dark blue swirl and usually decorated with glitter and silver stars and moons and planets.

    Jaye proceeded to go to multiple shops desperately trying to find stars, moons, planets, anything to resemble a galaxy. And then we had to give up – because we couldn’t find anything like that. Not anywhere. Not on short notice anyway.

    And then I thought: well what if I just make some midnight blue velvet cupcakes and do a blue sanding sugar for ‘glitter’. And then I’ll see if my sister can find some stars or moons or something near her place and we can just pop them on top of the cupcakes when we arrive!

    And so it happened that my niece got her galaxy cupcakes.

    So that was what inspired these blue velvet cupcakes. I won’t call them galaxy cupcakes here because other than the color, what makes cupcakes ‘galaxy’ versus not galaxy is the decorations.

    When it comes to flavor, this is blue velvet!

    Making Blue Velvet Cupcakes #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert Blue Velvet Cupcakes - Moist, spongey, velvety and delicious! #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert

    So I decided to make another batch for the blog because they worked out so well.

    I really went dark with the color here, it’s very much a midnight blue. But still very much blue. They look almost black in the pictures, but in real life they are definitely blue, just a very dark midnight blue.

    Just as with my red velvet cupcakes I matched the frosting instead of going for a contrast color.

    And just as with red velvet, the flavor of blue velvet comes about through a very subtle blend of flavors.

    So subtle you can hardly put your finger on it. Hints of vanilla, buttermilk and chocolate all merging together to create a unique blue velvet flavor.

    Blue Velvet Frosting #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessertBlue Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Velvet Frosting - Moist, spongey, velvety and delicious! #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert

    Blue sanding sugar works wonderfully as a decoration here because it shines and sparkles and looks very much like blue glitter.

    To make it, all you do is put in a couple of drops of liquid blue food coloring into a jar with about ¼ cup white sugar. Close the lid of the jar and then shake it vigorously so that the color spreads evenly through the sugar.

    And there you have your sanding sugar! If it’s a little more than you need, you can just keep it in a sealed jar and use it somewhere else.

    Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Velvet Frosting - Moist, spongey, velvety and delicious! #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert

    The blue food coloring used in these blue velvet cupcakes makes your tongue blue. Just a warning.

    But it’s not every day you eat blue things right? So I reckon it’s okay!

    These cupcakes are super pretty, wonderfully moist and spongey and make a deliciously colorful treat. Throw some silver stars and half moons and a few round silver balls on top and you have galaxy cupcakes complete with planets!

    Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Velvet Frosting - Moist, spongey, velvety and delicious! #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert

    These blue velvet cupcakes are the most delicious when fresh but they will last a couple of days at room temperature as well.

    If you want them to last longer, then keep them in the fridge (covered) where they will stay good for up to a week!

    Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Velvet Frosting - Moist, spongey, velvety and delicious! #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert

    I think you’ll love these blue velvet cupcakes, they are:

    • Rich
    • Moist
    • Spongey
    • Midnight Blue!
    • Easy
    • Beautiful

    And if you love cupcakes, you’ll probably also love our carrot cake cupcakes, our chocolate cupcakes and our vanilla cupcakes!

    Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Velvet Frosting - Moist, spongey, velvety and delicious! #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Velvet Frosting - Moist, spongey, velvety and delicious! #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert

    So let me know what you think of these cupcakes! Let me know in the comments and rate the recipe if you’ve made it!

    If you take any pics of your gorgeous creations, tag me #lovingitvegan on instagram so I can see them!

    And if you haven’t already sign up to our mailing list! You’ll get a fabulous (free) ebook containing 10 gorgeous recipes, and you’ll stay updated with all our latest recipe postings. Yay!

    Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Velvet Frosting - Moist, spongey, velvety and delicious! #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Velvet Frosting - Moist, spongey, velvety and delicious! #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert

    Vegan blue velvet cupcakes in a box.

    Blue Velvet Cupcakes

    Rich and moist vegan blue velvet cupcakes topped with a delicious blue velvet frosting. Simple, easy to make, and delicious to eat!
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Baking, Cakes, Dessert
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 355kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the Blue Velvet Cupcakes:

    • 2 cups All Purpose Flour (250g)
    • 1 cup White Granulated Sugar (200g)
    • 1 tsp Baking Soda
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • 1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder Unsweetened
    • 1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (240ml) 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice + Soy Milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line
    • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • ½ cup Canola Oil (120ml) or Vegetable Oil
    • 1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 1 tsp Blue Gel Food Coloring

    For the Blue Velvet Frosting:

    • 3 cups Powdered Sugar (360g)
    • ⅓ cup Vegan Butter (75g)
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • 1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder Unsweetened
    • 1 tsp Blue Gel Food Coloring
    • 1-2 Tbsp Soy Milk or other non-dairy milk
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    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
    • Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and then add the sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder and mix.
    • Prepare your vegan buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup line. Allow to sit for a minute to curdle.
    • Add the vegan buttermilk, vanilla, oil, vinegar and blue food coloring to the mixing bowl and mix into a batter. Don't overmix.
    • Line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners and divide the batter evenly between them.
    • Place into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
    • Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
    • Add all frosting ingredients except soy milk to your mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk starting on slow and gradually increasing speed until thick, smooth and creamy. Add soy milk as needed so that you get a consistency that can be easily piped or spread.
    • If you want to use some sanding sugar to decorate, add a couple of drops of liquid blue food coloring to about ¼ cup of white sugar in a jar. Close the lid of the jar and shake the jar vigorously so that the blue dye distributes evenly resulting in perfectly even blue sanding sugar.
    • Sprinkle on top of the frosted cupcakes.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 65.3g | Protein: 2.9g | Fat: 9.6g | Saturated Fat: 1.5g | Sodium: 255mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47.9g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
    Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Blue Velvet Frosting - Moist, spongey, velvety and delicious! #vegan #lovingitvegan #bluevelvet #cupcakes #dessert
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Elsa says

      January 19, 2021 at 6:55 pm

      Hi! Could I possibly substitute all vegan ingredients for non-vegan?
      Would you recommend any alterations? I’ve done this recipe as vegan before and loved it. In this case they are for my church and sadly cant afford to make it vegan ????????????
      Thank You!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 20, 2021 at 11:10 am

        Yes you can, and no other changes are needed. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Adrienne says

      April 16, 2020 at 8:01 pm

      Hi! I’m excited to try this recipe for my partners birthday. He wants this in a certain cake tin – should I oil and/or flour the pan since I won’t be making cupcakes and liners? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 17, 2020 at 9:14 am

        Hi Adrienne, I usually spray with non-stick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. All the best! 🙂

        Reply
        • Adrienne says

          April 24, 2020 at 3:03 pm

          Thank you! Making this today!!

          Reply
    3. Robyn says

      April 10, 2020 at 7:30 pm

      Do you think these would work if I just completely omit the food coloring? Thanks a bunch!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 11, 2020 at 11:16 am

        Hi Robyn, they would work, but the color of course would be very different. If you do make them that way, then I would add in 2 extra Tbsp of non-dairy milk to replace the liquid food coloring.

        Reply
    4. Lorna says

      May 24, 2019 at 8:15 pm

      I overbaked them at 25 minutes but at 15 minutes they were good! I may have overmixed the batter as well.

      Reply
    5. Lisa says

      March 07, 2019 at 3:00 am

      I haven’t tried this but am considering. Is there supposed to be flaxseed egg like in the red velvet cupcake recipe?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 07, 2019 at 9:45 am

        Hi Lisa, no it’s correct as written, no flax egg needed.

        Reply
        • Lisa says

          March 07, 2019 at 4:39 pm

          Got it! I’m new to vegan baking. Why is none needed?

          Also, I tried the red velvet ones and it tasted bad…could this be because I accidentally used red wine vinegar instead of white or apple cider?

          Reply
          • Alison Andrews says

            March 08, 2019 at 10:47 am

            I sometimes use egg replacements and sometimes not. If you want to make these the same way as the red velvet cupcakes with just the different food coloring you can do it. Red wine vinegar is definitely not the right one to use, but I can only think it may have reacted badly with another ingredient in order to cause the taste to be bad, that (tasting bad) is still a weird thing to happen.

    6. Stephanie Paquin says

      December 26, 2018 at 7:58 pm

      These were easy to make and very tasty! I think I’ll skip the cocoa moving forward as the cupcakes were rather grey/brown, rather than blue (and I added a LOT of blue food coloring) and the frosting ended up kind of a teal color. I’m not a huge chocolate/cocoa fan anyway, so hopefully, it will not affect anything to leave it out.5 stars

      Reply
    7. Courteney Lerums says

      April 20, 2018 at 10:40 pm

      the soya milk is it sweetened or unsweetened?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 21, 2018 at 8:04 am

        I usually use the regular sweetened variety, but either one will do fine, as it won’t make much of a difference either way. 🙂

        Reply
    8. Vanessa says

      August 12, 2017 at 4:19 am

      Try Butterfly pea Powder, I tried it for a mermaid smoothie bowl I made and it came out a nice deep blue. It is all natural so it might be a good alternative.5 stars

      Reply
      • Cassie says

        June 16, 2018 at 3:06 am

        How did you use it?

        Reply
    9. Catherine says

      June 18, 2017 at 12:01 am

      This recipe looks amazing! What blue food coloring did you use for this recipe? I’ve been looking for food coloring but haven’t found one that is vegan. Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 18, 2017 at 10:46 am

        Hi Catherine, I use Foster Clark’s as they have confirmed to me that their food colors are vegan.

        Reply
    10. Rosie says

      April 22, 2017 at 12:36 am

      These were awesome, great flavor and texture! I made them into “galaxy” cupcakes for a birthday party and were a hit. Not only do they turn your tongue blue, but you’ll be pooping blue for days after…. 😉 always a nice surprise! Keep the amazing recipes coming! I’m addicted to your blog!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 22, 2017 at 7:09 am

        Hahahaa! Yes, ALL the nice surprises!! So glad you liked them Rosie!

        Reply
    11. Hibbie says

      March 16, 2017 at 11:26 pm

      Hi there! Is it possible to substitute green colouring in the spirit of st Patty’s day? Prepping for a party. 🙂

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 17, 2017 at 4:23 am

        I’m sure! But in my experience using green food coloring, you can use quite a bit less food coloring to get a great green color, check out my key lime cake for an example: https://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-key-lime-cake/ This cake could easily be adapted to cupcakes as well just by adjusting the baking time down to 25 minutes.

        Reply
    12. Violet of Violet's Veg*n e-comics says

      March 10, 2017 at 12:38 pm

      Beautiful 😀5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 11, 2017 at 6:36 am

        🙂

        Reply
    13. Daniela says

      February 26, 2017 at 4:11 pm

      Do you have any way of substitute the blue colouring with a more natural ingredient … the recipe looks great but I try to not give anything artificial to my kids…

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 27, 2017 at 8:45 am

        Hey Daniela, for this shade of blue I think artificial is the only way to go. Natural colors don’t tend to hold when exposed to high heats. I’ve seen blueberries used in other recipes but the end result was not at all blue. Using blueberries in this recipe would change the whole recipe though so if it is something that appeals to you, I would rather look for a recipe that uses blueberries and is formulated around that. All the best!

        Reply
    14. Anna Andrews says

      February 17, 2017 at 1:40 pm

      Very pretty and so useful as a decorative touch to any party5 stars

      Reply

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    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

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