Green velvet cake – 2 cups sugar – 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature – 2 large eggs – 1 tablespoon cocoa powder – 1 tablespoon leaf green gel food color – 1-2 teaspoons warm water – 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour – 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt – 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – 1/2 teaspoon baking soda – 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Cream cheese frosting – 16 oz. cream cheese at room temperature – 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature – 7 cups confectioners’ sugar 2 boxes 1 lb. each – 2 teaspoons vanilla extract – Shamrock decors – 3 oz. green gum paste – Gold luster dust – Olive green luster dust

Green velvet cake layers – Preheat oven to 350F. Generously coat four 6-inch round cake pans with flour-based baking spray (or grease and flour pans). – In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and beat well after each addition. Mix cocoa, food coloring, and 1 teaspoon of water together to form a paste (add additional water if the mixture still seems dry). 

Add the food color/cocoa paste to the sugar mixture; beat on medium-high to disperse the color throughout the batter. – Sift together flour and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Beat in the vanilla extract. – In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and immediately add to the batter; beat on medium speed to combine. – Divide the batter between the four pans and spread evenly. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out clean when inserted in the center. These cakes won’t crown much, if at all. But if they puff slightly in the centers, use a clean paper towel and your palm to press the cakes flat while they are still warm in the pans. Be careful! Try to avoid the edges of the hot pans. – Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Cream cheese frosting – Cream together the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the powdered sugar in two additions. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again until combined. Cover frosting with a damp towel to keep it from drying out while you work. – Place a cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Top with a layer of frosting; stack another layer and frost. Repeat and end 

with the fourth layer on top. Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting to the outside of the cake. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Cover the cake with the remaining frosting. Smooth top and sides using a cake smoother or bench scraper. Save the leftover frosting to adhere the shamrocks onto the cake. (Or alternatively, you can transfer the remaining frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe swirls on top of the cake.)

Make the shamrocks – Knead the gum paste well and roll out onto a piece of parchment paper to 1/8 inch thickness (you could also roll it out on a work surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar, but the parchment works for me!).  Use the hydrangea cutter and five leaf flower cutter to stamp pieces out of the paste. You'll need about 25 pieces to get the effect shown on the cake in the picture. Knead, re-roll, and cut as needed. Use the X-acto knife to trim notches out of the leaves 

to make them heart-shaped. Trim one leaf of each flower shape into a stem shape (see video or image in blog post). – Fold a large paper towel sheet into quarters. Place a shamrock on the paper towel. Give the shamrock dimension by pressing and swirling the rounded end of a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon in the center of the shamrock. The leaves and stem will fold inward slightly. Place the shaped shamrock to one side of a mini cupcake liner to keep its shape until it dries. 

Repeat until all the shamrocks are shaped. Let dry until the gum paste hardens, about 2 hours. – Using a dry brush, apply the luster dust onto the set shamrocks using the kitchen-dedicated art brush. To adhere them to the cake, pipe or spread a small amount of leftover frosting onto the backs of the shamrocks and press onto the edge of the cake. I did this asymmetrically, in a vaguely waterfall pattern over the top 

and one side of the cake. But – Serve the cake at room temperature for best texture and flavor.

Make a paste? Yes!  Mixing the cocoa powder and food color into a paste may seem like a strange step, but it works so well to disperse the color evenly throughout the butter mixture. The water in food color can be resistant to mixing with the fat in the butter, but the cocoa paste disperses evenly. Green food color: There are many different shades of green that would work, but the one I like best for this cake is Leaf Green from Chefmaster. It is absolutely flavorless.

Make it red: If you’re looking for a classic red velvet cake, then all you have to do is swap the green food color for red food color in equal amounts. Cupcakes: The batter can easily be portioned into cupcake liners. You’ll get slightly more than 2 dozen cupcakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes.