This weekend is Memorial Day! I’m not sure how it came up so fast but here it is! It’s been a busy weekend for me as I drove to my parents yesterday then rode with them up to Ohio for my cousin’s graduation party then we drove back to my parents. Today I drove back home and it’s been an exhausting, though fun 2 days. Tomorrow my husband and I will be having a cookout and plan on relaxing and celebrating the day.
Today Sunday Supper is celebrating Memorial Day by sharing red, white, and blue foods! Now I’ve made several red, white and blue desserts in the past and even have made a red, white, and blue sangria. Today I’m sharing my recipe for Blue Velvet Cupcakes. If you want to make them a little more patriotic you can take a whole strawberry, slice it 3/4 of the way through, and fan it out on top of the cupcakes. It looks wonderful! I forgot to take a picture of my cupcakes that had the strawberries on them but take it from me, they were super cute.
Blue Velvet cupcakes are super easy to make. The “velvet” recipe is simply a light chocolate cake recipe made with buttermilk. While many people use a recipe with vinegar in it, I don’t like the flavor of that in my cake so I use my own recipe. Any color of velvet cake can be made by simply using a lot of good food coloring to color the batter. I say use a good food coloring because I’ve tried using the ones from the market and while they work, the color isn’t very vibrant. I always buy a high quality gel food coloring that really brings out the color in these velvet cakes.
The blue velvet cupcakes turn out to be a medium blue and have a light chocolate flavor. I topped them off with blue vanilla frosting for a delicious treat. I also put them in blue cupcake liners but you can choose whatever color suites you. As I said before, place strawberry fans on top for a red, white, and blue look.
- 2¼ c. flour
- 1 T. baking powder
- ½ t. salt
- 1 c. butter, softened
- 1¼ c. sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 t. vanilla
- ¼ c. cocoa powder
- ¾ c. milk
- Blue food coloring
- 1 c. butter, softened
- 3-4 c. powdered sugar
- 2-3 T. milk
- 1 t. vanilla
- blue food coloring
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with blue paper liners.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix and set aside.
- In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
- Stir in the cocoa powder and mix until well combined.
- Add in half the flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in all of the milk. Stir in the remaining flour mixture.
- Add several drops of blue food coloring and mix to see the color. Add additional food coloring until desired color is reached.
- Divide batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling each ⅔ of the way full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting beat the butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Add in a few drops of blue food coloring, until desired color is reached.

Food Using One Color
Red Food
- Baby Back Ribs with Roasted Strawberry Barbecue Sauce by Crazy Foodie Stunts
- Baked Tomato Breakfast Cups by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Red Velvet Milk Shake by Nosh My Way
- Strawberry Meringue Tartlets by What Smells So Good?
- Strawberry Oat Crumble by The Wimpy Vegetarian
White Food
- Alabama BBQ Sauce by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Blue Food
- Blueberry Breakfast Cookies by Pies and Plots
- Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Blue Velvet Cupcakes by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Food Using Two Colors
Red and White Food
- Pickled Shrimp with Pico de Gallo by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Sausage Rougail (Rougail Saucisse) by The Petit Gourmet
Blue and White Food
- Blueberry Feta Cucumber Salad by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Blueberry Pierogi by Curious Cuisiniere
Red, White and Blue Food
- Berry Berry Celebrations by Momma’s Meals
- Berry Filled Firecracker Cupcakes by The Crumby Cupcake
- Berry Patriotic Chia Seed Pudding by Tasting Page
- Easy Chocolate Covered Marshmallows by Palatable Pastime
- Eton Mess by Caroline’s Cooking
- Greek Yogurt Parfait Bar by Family Foodie
- Grilled Shrimp, Tomato and Bleu Cheese Flatbread by Our Good Life
- Individual Loaded Red, White, and Blue Salads by The Weekend Gourmet
- Patriotic Cocktail by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
- Patriotic Panna Cotta by The Freshman Cook
- Red White And Blue Coleslaw by Nik Snacks
- Red, White, and Blue Parfaits by Life Tastes Good
- Red, White and Blue Cherry Pie by Savory Experiments
- Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Red, White and Blue Sangria by Food Lust People Love
- Red White and Blue Sundae by Desserts Required
- St. Honore Cake by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Strawberry, Blueberry & Raspberry Cheesecake Crumble by Food Done Light
- Tomato Blue Cheese Crostini by Magnolia Days
- Triple Berry Coconut Chia Pudding Parfaits by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Vanilla Pound Cake with Fresh Berries by Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Watermelon, Feta & Beet Appetizer by Take A Bite Out of Boca
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Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook
I’m not a big fan of red velvet cake and I bet it’s because of the vinegar – love that your recipe doesn’t use it, I’ll have to give it another try. These would be perfect for a Frozen party in those snowflake liners!
HezziD
I’m with you. I’m not a fan of the vinegar in the cake and I’ve found these are much better!
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere
So festive! What a great idea!
Sue Lau
I love the idea of blue velvet, Very festive for the holiday!
Cindys Recipes and Writings
Blueberries and chocolate sound like a great combination to me!
Laura Dembowski
Such fun cupcakes! Love that bright blue color!
Kelly @ TastingPage
What a fun and festive idea these are. Quite the party stopper!
Sarah
LOVE this twist on the classic!
DB, Foodie Stuntman | Crazy Foodie Stunts
Very festive and I like the variation on the Southern classic. Thank you for participating this week!
Shaina
The color of your frosting is GORGEOUS!
Gaila
My kids love cupcakes but I have never done blue velvet!! Have to try it!
Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
I love these!! They would be perfect for a baby shower too 🙂
Teri@The Freshman Cook
These look beautiful! The blue velvet is a great idea! Thanks for the tip about the gel colors vs, the store colors.Always good to know! Have a great weekend!
HezziD
Thank you! Blue velvet is such a fun twist on classic red velvet
susan @ the wimpy vegetarian
Blue velvet cupcakes is a GREAT idea!! I love how they look!
HezziD
Thank you! They were fun to make
Liz
My family loves any and all cupcakes! I need to add blue velvet tomy baking list!
Renee
I really like the color of those cupcakes. They would be great for so many celebrations, patriotic or otherwise.