Black Velvet Cake
Layers of deliciously moist black velvet cake and black buttercream made with the magic of black cocoa powder (and NO food coloring)! Black cocoa powder makes this cake taste like Oreo cookies and ensures that it won't turn anyone's mouth black. Pair it with vintage piping or frost it however you want – it's the ideal Halloween cake or dessert for a spooky gathering.
Servings 15 slices
Ingredients
Black Velvet Cake
- 2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour
- 1 2/3 Cups (340g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 Cup (80g) black cocoa powder* see notes
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk*, room temperature DIY recipe in notes
- 1 Cup (240ml) hot coffee or hot water
Dye-Free Black Buttercream
- 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 Cups (600g) powdered sugar
- 1 Cup (112g) black cocoa powder* Use The Cocoa Trader brand for best results here
- 4 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Instructions
Make the Black Velvet Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with a wax paper or parchment cake circle.
- Place all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir on low for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix on low until just combined. With the mixer still on low, add the hot coffee (or hot water) in a slow stream, then turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin.
- Pour into prepared cake pans no more than 2/3 full and bake for 32-36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Make the Black Buttercream
- If making the lambeth design pictured, you'll need slightly more buttercream than this recipe calls for. See the notes for the ingredient amounts. The recipe as written makes enough to fill, frost, and decorate with a swirl border on top or a couple shell borders and simple piping.
- 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.
- The buttercream will look dark brown at this point, but the color will darken significantly over the next several hours. If you need it darkened faster, an immersion blender works great and darkens the buttercream to black in minutes. See the recipe notes for storage instructions if you're not planning on frosting the cake the same day.
Assembly
- Once the cake layers have cooled completely, level them to your desired height. Fill and stack the layers with black buttercream, then crumb coat the cake with more black buttercream. Refrigerate the crumb coated cake for 20-30 minutes to let the frosting firm up.
- To create the design pictured, use the black buttercream to create a smooth finish on the cake, then refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Use the rest of the black buttercream to create lambeth piping (feel free to use this tutorial as guidance). Accent the lambeth piping with round black sprinkles where desired.
Notes
*DIY Buttermilk Recipe: add 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to a jar and top it with 1 Cup of whole milk. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes before using in the recipe.
*Black Cocoa Powder: For the darkest black buttercream, use The Cocoa Trader brand (it's the darkest black cocoa powder out there) BUT this brand is so dark that it will affect the rise of the cake due to its extreme acidity. For this reason, if using The Cocoa Trader brand for the cake layers, use 1/2 cup (60g) of black cocoa powder + 3 Tablespoons (18g) of Dutch-processed cocoa powder. This will ensure the cake rises properly, has a beautiful dark color, and tastes amazing. For any other black cocoa powder brands, you can use the full amount of black cocoa powder called for in the cake recipe BUT the frosting won't be as black unless you add about 1 tsp of black food color gel.
Lambeth Design: if you're recreating the cake pictured, use these ingredient amounts for the buttercream: 2.5 Cups (565g) unsalted butter at room temperature, 6.25 Cups (750g) powdered sugar, 1.25 Cups (140g) black cocoa powder, 5 Tablespoons whole milk at room temperature, 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1/3 teaspoon of salt.
To Make as Cupcakes: use this recipe for Black Velvet Cupcakes!
To Bake in a 9x13 Pan: Make the cake recipe as written and bake in a well-greased 9x13 metal baking pan at 325ºF (163ºC) for 30-35 minutes. Note the lower oven temp here!
Make Ahead Tips:
- The Black Velvet Cake layers can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature.
- The Black Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and rewhip with your stand mixer to bring back to frosting consistency.