St Patricks Green Velvet Cake (Printable)

A vibrant, tender green velvet cake topped with creamy vanilla frosting, ideal for festive celebrations.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Cake

01 - 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
03 - 1 tsp baking powder
04 - ½ tsp baking soda
05 - 1 tsp salt
06 - 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
07 - 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
08 - ½ cup vegetable oil
09 - 2 large eggs, at room temperature
10 - 2 tsp vanilla extract
11 - 1 tsp white vinegar
12 - 1 tbsp green food coloring, gel recommended

→ For the Cream Cheese Frosting

13 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
14 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
15 - 3 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
16 - 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
17 - Pinch of salt

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder until well combined.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla, vinegar, and green food coloring until smooth and uniform.
04 - Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until just combined—do not overmix to maintain tender texture.
05 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing tops with a spatula.
06 - Bake for 28–32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
08 - Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt; beat until fluffy and spreadable.
09 - Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with frosting. Top with second layer and frost top and sides evenly.
10 - Decorate with green sprinkles or edible glitter if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The texture is impossibly moist and tender, almost like a cloud wrapped in velvet
  • That striking green color makes people gasp when you slice into it
  • The cream cheese frosting balances everything with just the right tangy sweetness
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients incorporate better and prevent lumps in both batter and frosting
  • Overmixing the batter makes velvet cake tough, so stop as soon as you no longer see dry flour
  • Completely cooled cakes are non-negotiable—warm layers will slide around and melt your frosting
03 -
  • If you only have one cake pan, bake the layers separately—just let the pan cool completely between batches
  • For cupcakes, this recipe makes 24 standard cupcakes and they bake for 18–20 minutes
  • The cream cheese frosting can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container

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