Whenever I share this black velvet cake recipe I get so excited to say that the cake layers don’t have any food coloring in them. The black cocoa powder turns those layers extra black in the baking process and the result is so striking! I originally paired it with this black buttercream recipe that uses minimal food coloring but I got to wondering if there was a way to make the entire cake dye-free, frosting and all. Well, that wondering turned into a straight up obsession and I tested tons of techniques and ingredients to finally find the perfect dye-free black buttercream recipe. Turns out it’s easier and less complicated than I thought!
One Reader, Erica, says: “This buttercream is FLAWLESS. I have made it three times and it’s always perfect consistency and BLACK BLACK every time. And as promised, doesn’t turn people’s teeth black, which is always appreciated.” ★★★★★
Why You’ll Love this Black Buttercream
- It DOESN’T turn your mouth black (or anything else 💩).
- It uses ZERO food color gel
- There’s NO charcoal involved
- It’s super EASY to make
- It tastes like OREO COOKIE BUTTER
Since I’m such a big fan of Oreos, I enjoyed quite a few spoonfuls and kept checking my mouth to see if my tongue would turn black but guess what? It didn’t! If you’ve been looking for a natural way to make dark black buttercream, this is it.
The Secret Ingredient for Dye-Free Black Buttercream
To get the blackest black buttercream naturally, you’ll need one special ingredient: EXTRA DARK black cocoa powder. During all of my recipe testing and experiments, I realized that not all black cocoa powders will get your frosting as dark as this kind. Just look at the difference between the brands below:
All black cocoa powder is essentially raw cacao powder that’s been Dutch-processed, or treated with an alkaline solution to reduce its acidity. The result of that chemical reaction is a darker colored cocoa powder and richer chocolate flavor. It’s what Oreo cookie shells are made with, so that’s the main note you get when you bake with black cocoa powder.
The Experiments
I was thoroughly obsessed with finding the perfect recipe for this black buttercream. So much that I went lots of directions with it. After realizing that black cocoa gets darker when heated or cooked, I understood why my cake layers got so dark without food coloring. So I tried lots of experiments with heat: blooming the black cocoa powder in melted butter, making an Ermine frosting with it, and cooking it into an inky black syrup with sugar and water (like this Sugarologie method), to name just a few. These experiments either resulted in a super dark brown buttercream or just didn’t have the right consistency in the end.
I wanted to come up with a recipe that was straightforward and easy enough for anyone to make, and it wasn’t until I started researching different brands of black cocoa powder that I found this extra dark version. It is a game changer. It’s so much darker in color than any of the other brands I’ve tried, so I was able to sift it into my favorite buttercream recipe and the results were perfect. No cooking, no complicated steps, just a super straightforward method and the right product.
It’s ready to use right away but look at how much darker it gets after 24 hours:
My New Favorite Black Buttercream Recipe
After seeing that I can make black buttercream without dye, it’s all I want to do going forward. I love not worrying about it coloring the teeth and tongues of party guests or hearing stories about startling bathroom experiences afterwards (iykyk). Plus, it’s silky smooth and tastes just like Oreo cookie butter so I was legitimately eating it by the spoonful! It pairs perfectly with my black velvet cake recipe or any cake that would pair well with dark chocolate frosting. Here’s a quick video I whipped up to show you how it’s made:
If you want more videos like this one, you’ll find more on my YouTube page! Be sure to hit the Subscribe button while you’re there so you never miss a new one.
Dye-Free Black Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2 Cups (300g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 Cup (56g) extra dark black cocoa powder*
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter on medium speed until creamy and light in color, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, then add half of the powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until just incorporated, then add the rest of the powdered sugar. With the mixer still in the off position, sift in the black cocoa powder and add the vanilla, milk, and salt. Mix on low until all ingredients are thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.
- Place the buttercream in an airtight container and allow the color to deepen for 24 hours or more. You can keep it at room temperature for one day or store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you're ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix with your stand mixer on low speed until the consistency is smooth.
Notes
- Frost 12-15 cupcakes with a piping bag
- Fill and crumb coat a three-layer 6-inch cake or two-layer 8-inch cake. To have enough for frosting and decorating as well, double the recipe.
Did you make this dye-free black buttercream? I want to know what you paired it with and what you think! Let me know in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create!
How much of the recipe do you think I’d need for just writing on a birthday cake? Would cutting it in half still be alot?
For just writing, you’d really only need a few tablespoons of frosting. You could halve or quarter the recipe and still have more than enough. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for this recipe!! I followed the link to the cocoa powder on Amazon, but it is no longer available. Do you know of any other sources who carry it?
That’s wild! It sells out quick this time of year. If you google search “The Cocoa Trader Black Cocoa Powder” you’ll see some options for online sellers like eBay and online cake decorating shops.
Made this dye free black buttercream and it turned out great and very well colored! I’m wondering if you have used this buttercream recipe with the black cocoa to pipe writing on a cake at all? If so, did you find that the consistency worked well for writing? I want to make this again for writing in buttercream on a bday cake, but feel like it may be a little thick with the cocoa adding an extra powdered ingredient thickener..? I know I could thin it a bit with more milk, but don’t want to loose the intense black color either.. any thoughts or experience with writing in black?
Thanks!
Hi Payton! You can absolutely use this frosting to write! I would thin it out slightly with a little milk. It won’t affect the color at all.
would this butter cream recipe be enough to fill, frost and decorate a 6inch 4 layered cake or should i double the recipe??
Hi, Tasnim! Two batches will be enough to fill frost and decorate a cake of that size. Enjoy!
i want to make an 8 inch three layered cake and i got double ingredients so i could double the recipe, but would i need more than double of the recipe to fill, frost and decorate?
Hi Tasnim! A double batch should be enough to fill, frost, and decorate a 3 layer 8-inch cake.
Thank you SO much for this recipe!! This buttercream turned out absolutely beautiful! Yummy and such a deep black. I honestly didn’t have high expectations but the way it turned out has me beyond thrilled. I’m so happy to have found your website and to find a recipe that actually works that doesn’t use food dye. Thank you!!
Yay, Megan! That makes me so happy!
Hi Charolotte, thank for this amazing recipe. Going to give it a try. Kindly advise if the icing sugar can be increased. I want to make a larger batch of icing. thank you. Tilly Naidoo, South Africa
Hi Tilly! To make a larger batch of icing, you can double (or triple) the recipe. You’ll want to increase the amounts of every ingredient equally. Here’s a blog post I wrote about scaling recipes: https://sugarandsparrow.com/how-to-scale-cake-recipes/
Hi, can I use fat free milk or heavy whipping cream if we don’t have whole milk on hand ?
Hi Jamie! Yes, you totally can use those substitutes.
Hi can this be made vegan?
I think so! Sub the butter for vegan butter sticks and the milk for non-dairy milk.
Can you use hi ratio shortening instead of butter? How does this hold up in hot weather? That’s why I’m asking about using the shortening instead.
Hi Ruthann! I’ve never tried using hi ratio shortening with this specific recipe but I think it should work! Here’s a blog post I wrote about making buttercream heat resistant with hi ratio shortening that might help: https://sugarandsparrow.com/buttercream-recipe-for-hot-weather/
This recipe is amazing!!! I used half shortening half butter for a little extra staying power and it was perfect, absolutely 10/10! It’s in the fridge now to darken overnight, but it’s definitely already black! And delicious!
Could this work in a Swiss meringue buttercream recipe?
Hi Tara! I’ve never tried it in a swiss meringue buttercream recipe! I’d do a little research to see if anyone is using black cocoa powder in smbc so it’s not so much of an experiment.
Did you find any or try this yourself? I’m looking to try this too…!
I used this buttercream for my husband’s birthday cake! It turned out great and delicious!
if i make this and frost a cake today, will it darken overnight before the cake is served tomorrow?
Hi Amanda! Yes, it will darken on the cake overnight. Enjoy!
What other cane recipes would you recommend pairing this with other than your black velvet cake?
Hi Lindsay! Since it has the flavor profile of an Oreo cookie it will go well with vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, and pumpkin (to name just a few!).
With regards to vanilla, would you recommend white or yellow cake? Or does it not really matter?
Can’t wait to try this!
In addition to my previous question, could you pair this with the regular buttercream or would it be too much? Meaning like a vanilla cake with regular as the outer frosting and black as the inner layer between
Hi Holly! You could absolutely fill and crumb coat the cake with vanilla frosting, then do the black buttercream as the outer frosting. Just make sure the crumb coated cake is chilled before you apply the outer layer of black frosting so that the colors don’t mix together. And as far as cakes go, you can’t go wrong with either a white or yellow cake. They are technically both vanilla cakes, one is just more pale in color. So if it’s a stark color contrast you’re going for, I’d pair it with the white cake.
In terms of taste, how does this compare to your other black frosting recipe with minimal food coloring? I’m making a red velvet cake this week and need black frosting for piping the details/design, would you recommend one over the other?
Hi Amy! I love the taste of this frosting – it tastes like Oreo cookies! My other black buttercream recipe made with minimal food coloring tastes more milk chocolatey with the combo of natural cocoa powder + black cocoa powder. Either one is great consistency for piping and decorating!
Do you think this would work with whipped cream frosting as well?
Hi Charlotte! I’m not sure. Feel free to experiment with it though!
This frosting is absolutely black, delicious and pipes beautifully. I made it 2days before I needed to use it so refrigerated it. It was quite thick after coming to room temp so I added a bit more milk and it came up to a beautiful spreadable texture. And it was pure Black! I used it to cover your black velvet cake. I filled it with buttercream cream cheese. The cake was decorated as a galaxy Star Wars cake and ended up selling at a premium price at a church fundraiser. Everyone is still talking about it!
That’s amazing, Camille! I’m so happy to hear that this was such a hit!