# What You Need:
→ Cake Layers
01 - 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
06 - 2 cups granulated sugar
07 - 4 large eggs, at room temperature
08 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
09 - 1 1/4 cups whole milk, at room temperature
10 - Blue gel food coloring (navy, royal, and light blue shades)
→ Vanilla Buttercream
11 - 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
12 - 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
13 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
14 - 3 to 4 tablespoons milk or cream
15 - Pinch of salt
16 - Dark blue gel food coloring
→ Gold Decoration
17 - Edible gold leaf or edible gold dust
18 - 1 to 2 tablespoons clear alcohol (vodka or lemon extract, if using gold dust)
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly blended.
03 - In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar for 3 to 4 minutes until pale and fluffy.
04 - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in vanilla extract.
05 - Alternately add flour mixture and milk to creamed ingredients in three additions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
06 - Divide batter evenly into three bowls. Tint each with a different shade of blue gel food coloring for a gradient effect from light to dark.
07 - Pour each colored batter into prepared pans and level surfaces. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
08 - Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.
09 - Beat butter until creamy. Gradually incorporate sifted powdered sugar, mixing well. Add vanilla, salt, and milk or cream as needed for spreadable consistency.
10 - Reserve 1 cup buttercream for crumb coat. Tint remaining buttercream with dark blue gel color for final coating.
11 - Level cooled cake layers if required. Place darkest blue layer on serving plate and spread with buttercream. Stack lighter blue layers with buttercream between each.
12 - Apply thin crumb coat of reserved plain buttercream over cake and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
13 - Frost cake smoothly using dark blue buttercream. Blend lighter blue shades towards the top for a textured ombre finish.
14 - Garnish cake by placing edible gold leaf or brushing gold dust mixed with clear alcohol along edges or in decorative streaks.
15 - Refrigerate cake until ready to serve to maintain structure and decoration.
