These Black Velvet Cupcakes are frighteningly decadent and naturally pitch-dark with the use of black cocoa powder. These moist and tender jet-black chocolate cupcakes are topped with a velvety black cream cheese frosting and are some of the easiest spooky treats you can make this Halloween, made without any food coloring!
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These delicious cupcakes are smaller versions of our black velvet cake and they're perfect for serving a crowd. Spooky and elegant, yet easy to master, they're perfect for potlucks, for giving away to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night, or a Halloween party!
The rich black color in the cupcakes and the black frosting comes from black cocoa powder, no black food dye is involved! The perfect treat for spooky season!
Looking for more Halloween recipes? You'll love this Halloween snack mix, our Halloween chocolate bark, this Halloween dry ice punch, this Halloween charcuterie board, this Vampire's kiss cocktail, or this spooky spaghetti and meatballs.
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Quick and easy. All you need to make these cupcakes are 2 bowls, a whisk, and a handful of baking staples to make the batter and black cocoa frosting. It will take you less than 30 minutes to have the cupcakes ready for decorating!
- Moist, tender, and fluffy cupcakes. The cupcakes stay moist and soft for days! Topped with a luscious black cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes will simply melt in your mouth.
- Naturally dark and chocolaty. This recipe does not use any artificial food coloring or flavoring. The black color and deep chocolate flavor come from the black cocoa powder and strong brewed coffee.
- Make-ahead cupcakes. Both the frosting and cupcakes can be made in advance and stored in the fridge (or freezer for the unfrosted cupcakes) for easy assembly. You can make a big batch that you can just put together quickly at any time.
- So much fun to decorate! You can simply use sprinkles like we did, or use other Halloween-themed goodies like M&Ms, chocolate chips, candy corn, candy pumpkins, and candy eyes.
- Perfect for Halloween parties and other special occasions. Obviously, these amazing cupcakes are great for Halloween, but they can also be made for any special occasion with different sprinkles! Try them for Valentine's Day or New Year's Eve too!
🧁Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Black cocoa powder. This is an ultra Dutch-processed cocoa powder treated with alkaline to lessen its acidity. This makes it super dark and smooth with a less bitter flavor. You will use this both for making the cake and the frosting. This is the same cocoa powder that makes Oreo cookies! This is the only ingredient in these cupcakes that isn't very easy to find at grocery stores. Find it on Amazon (affiliate link).
- Strong brewed coffee or espresso. This is added to intensify the chocolate flavor without leaving a bitter aftertaste. This is optional but highly recommended if you want to achieve a rich-tasting dessert.
- Buttermilk. Make sure it's room temperature. If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own by combining vinegar or lemon juice with milk and allowing it to sit for about 10 minutes.
- Unsalted butter. This gives the frosting a sturdy structure so you can easily pipe it on the cupcakes. Make sure it's only slightly softened.
- Cream cheese. Make sure it's the full-fat kind that comes in blocks. We actually want to make sure it's a bit cold still, so don't take it out of the fridge too much more than 20 minutes before you make the frosting. Cream cheese frosting can get a little runny so this helps it hold its shape. Do not use the whipped kind that comes in a tub.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Swap hot coffee or espresso. You can use plain boiling water instead. The heat activates the chocolate giving it a deeper, richer flavor. Just be sure to add the hot liquid in a slow stream and whisk to prevent the hot liquid from cooking the eggs in the batter.
- No avocado oil. If you do not have avocado oil, you can use vegetable oil or another neutral oil like canola oil, or grapeseed oil.
- Swap butter for oil. We love using oil because it makes the cupcakes moist for longer, however, you can also use melted (and slightly cooled) unsalted butter as an alternative. It will add a flavor but will have a slightly different texture. Cupcakes made with oil stay super moist for a long time.
- No distilled vinegar? No worries! You can use apple cider vinegar or lemon juice for a 1:1 swap.
- No buttermilk. To make homemade buttermilk, combine ½ cup of milk with ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Stir to combine, and let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes.
- No black cocoa powder. If you can't find black cocoa powder, you can use Dutch-processed cocoa or even natural cocoa powder. Please note that the color will not be as dark as shown in the pictures. You can use a black food dye to achieve the same result.
✨Variations
- Gluten-free. Simply swap the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour. We like using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour.
- Keto version. While we haven't tried this ourselves, we imagine it would work quite well to follow our keto black velvet cake recipe and simply put them in cupcake liners instead of cake pans.
- Add a fruity twist. Drizzle on some raspberry simple syrup for a fruity (and spooky) twist to this dessert! You can also fill the cupcakes with some raspberry compote.
🔪Prep work
- Allow the buttermilk, heavy cream, and eggs to sit out at room temperature for about an hour before making the cake so they can come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- Measure out the rest of the ingredients using a food scale.
- Take the unsalted butter, and cream cheese butter out of the fridge for about 20-30 minutes before making the frosting. We actually don't want them to be too soft!
📋Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, sift in the flour, white sugar, black cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. (Image 1)
Use a whisk to make sure everything is evenly dispersed. (Image 2) Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, add eggs, avocado oil, buttermilk, distilled white vinegar, and vanilla extract. (Image 3)
Whisk the mixture until completely combined. (Image 4)
Slowly combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Mix until smooth, and then stop. Be sure to scrape the sides to ensure everything is incorporated. (Image 5)
Pour in the hot coffee while whisking to prevent cooking the eggs in the batter. Continue mixing until completely combined and smooth. (Image 6)
Switch to a rubber spatula about halfway through when the batter becomes thicker. The batter will be quite wet. (Image 7)
Add to the prepared muffin tins and fill the cupcake liners up only about halfway. (Image 8)
Bake for 17-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, (Image 9) then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting. (Image 10)
✨Pro Tip: Don't overfill the liners! We like using a #20 cookie scoop to get roughly the same amount in every cupcake liner in a quick and easy way. You can also use a ¼-cup measuring cup if you like, but we find it to be much messier.
While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the slightly softened butter for about 4 minutes until smooth using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. The butter should become light fluffy and pale in color. (Image 11)
Add the cream cheese, (Image 12) and cream together for an additional 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is completely soft and free from lumps. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times. (Image 13)
✨Pro Tip: You want to use butter and cream cheese that are just slightly softened for this recipe. That's because cream cheese frosting can become gloopy, so if it's a bit cold, it can hold its shape better. You'll also want to take extra time to ensure the cream cheese and butter are super smooth and combined at this stage before the sugar is added!
Add in vanilla extract, then sift in the salt, black cocoa powder, and powdered sugar. (Image 14)
Mix on low to combine. Add more powdered sugar or a little cream to thin if desired until the consistency is where you'd like it. Just be careful and add cream slowly! It's really easy to thin the frosting too much, but hard to thicken it if it becomes too thin. (Image 15).
✨Pro Tip: Be careful when adding cream and make sure to add it slowly! It's really easy to thin the frosting too much, but hard to thicken it if it becomes too thin.
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with your favorite piping tip. The recipe will make enough frosting for a generous amount on each. Add sprinkles if desired for decoration. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Use room-temperature ingredients for the cupcake batter. Ingredients at room temperature will mix together much more smoothly. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time, including the eggs, buttermilk, and the heavy cream.
- We prefer to use cold butter and cream cheese while making the frosting, however. Cream cheese frosting tends to get a little runny over time, but if you want a frosting that is more on the stiff side, simply remove it from the fridge 20 minutes before using. To ensure that they maintain their shape, the butter and cream cheese should be very cold.
- Use fresh baking soda. We want these cupcakes to rise properly, so make sure your baking soda is fresh! Generally, we replace ours about every 30 days. To check if it's still good, mix a teaspoon of baking soda with a little bit of lemon juice or vinegar. If it bubbles up vigorously, it's good to go!
- Measure ingredients precisely. If you have a kitchen scale, use it as different cups come in different sizes. Exact measurements can take baked goods from decent to excellent!
- Avoid mixing the batter too much. Mix them just enough to integrate all the ingredients into the batter. This will guarantee that your cupcakes are soft and airy rather than dense and hard. You also don't want to add all the dry ingredients at once, or it causes the mixture to clump, and this also leads to overmixing.
- Use parchment paper cupcake liners. If possible, these create a foolproof non-stick liner every time. If you don't have any cupcake liners, be sure to grease the cupcake tin very well.
- Use a #20 cookie scoop. This large cookie scoop is perfect for filling the cupcake liners up about halfway neatly, quickly, and easily. Plus, it’s a good way to make sure there’s about the same amount of batter in each cupcake.
- Make sure the cupcakes are chilled completely before frosting, or else they will begin to melt and run.
- When making the frosting, mix the butter and cream cheese slowly. Before adding the powdered sugar and salt, we want to make sure the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Make sure to cream the butter for 4-5 minutes before adding the cream cheese. We know it seems like a long time, but the finished product will be smooth and creamy! Don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl as well.
- Don't use too much heavy cream in the frosting. Add less than you think you'll need. You can always add more if necessary, but once it's in the frosting, it can be difficult to adjust the texture if it becomes too thin or runny.
- When adding heavy cream to the frosting, use room-temperature heavy cream. Chilled heavy cream might cause the frosting to stiffen and seize up.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to three days to keep the cream cheese frosting from spoiling. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes or so before serving for the best texture.
Freeze fully frosted cupcakes in airtight containers for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight. It’s best to freeze the cupcakes separately from the frosting whenever possible, as the cream cheese frosting will change in texture over time. Plus, with the tall piped frosting, it becomes harder to wrap it tightly and therefore it may become freezer burnt.
Kind of. This recipe was developed specifically for the black cocoa powder, which is highly alkalized! We add acid and leaveners to this recipe to help it rise, as this particular type of cocoa powder doesn't help it rise like other types do.
You can use Dutch-processed cocoa powder that is also alkalized. It is quite dark, but won't result in the same dark color. You can add some black food coloring to make the color darker.
🎃👻More Halloween Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Black Velvet Cupcakes
Equipment
- hand mixer (or stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachments!)
- mixing bowls
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
Black velvet cupcakes
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup granualted sugar
- ½ cup black cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ¼ cup hot espresso or strong brewed coffee
Black cocoa cream cheese frosting
- 1 stick unsalted butter, slightly softened (½ cup)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cold (1 block)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup black cocoa powder
- 2-4 cups* powdered sugar (to taste, and as needed to achieve the consistency you want)
- 1-2 tablespoons* heavy cream, room temperature added really slowly to achieve the right consistency)
Instructions
Black velvet cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.Prepare a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift in 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 cup of white sugar, ½ cup of black cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon of baking soda. Use a whisk to make sure everything is evenly dispersed. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, add the eggs, ⅓ cup of avocado oil, ¼ cup of buttermilk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar. Whisk the mixture until completely combined.
- Slowly combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients with a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk. Mix until smooth, and then stop. Be sure to scrape the sides to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Pour in the ¼ cup hot coffee or espresso while whisking to prevent cooking the eggs in the batter. Continue mixing until completely combined and smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula about halfway through when the batter becomes thicker. The batter will be quite wet.
- Add the batter to the prepared muffin tins using a large cookie scoop and fill the cupcake liners up only about halfway. Bake for 17-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Black cocoa cream cheese frosting
- While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting. In a mixing bowl, mix together the slightly softened 1 stick of unsalted butter for about 4 minutes until smooth using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. The butter should become light fluffy and pale in color.
- Add in the 1 block of cream cheese, and cream together for an additional 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is completely soft and free from lumps. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times.
- Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, then sift in the ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, ½ cup of black cocoa powder, and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Mix on low to combine.
- Add more powdered sugar or a little cream to thin if desired until the consistency is where you'd like it. Just be careful and add cream slowly! It's really easy to thin the frosting too much, but hard to thicken it if it becomes too thin.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with your favorite piping tip. The recipe will make enough frosting for a generous amount on each. Add sprinkles if desired for decoration. Enjoy!
- Store the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to three days to keep the cream cheese frosting from spoiling. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes or so before serving for the best texture.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- Use room-temperature ingredients for the cupcake batter. Ingredients at room temperature will mix together much more smoothly. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time, including the eggs, buttermilk, and the heavy cream.
- We prefer to use cold butter and cream cheese while making the frosting, however. Cream cheese frosting tends to get a little runny over time, but if you want a frosting that is more on the stiff side, simply remove it from the fridge 20 minutes before using.
- Use fresh baking soda. We want these cupcakes to rise properly, so make sure your baking soda is fresh! To check if it's still good, mix a teaspoon of baking soda with a little bit of lemon juice or vinegar. If it bubbles up vigorously, it's good to go!
- Measure ingredients precisely. If you have a kitchen scale, use it as different cups come in different sizes. Exact measurements can take baked goods from decent to excellent!
- Avoid mixing the batter too much. Mix them just enough to integrate all the ingredients into the batter. This will guarantee that your cupcakes are soft and airy rather than dense and hard.
- Use parchment paper cupcake liners. If possible, these create a foolproof non-stick liner every time. If you don't have any cupcake liners, be sure to grease the cupcake tin very well.
- Use a #20 cookie scoop. This large cookie scoop is perfect for filling the cupcake liners up about halfway neatly, quickly, and easily. Plus, it’s a good way to make sure there’s about the same amount of batter in each cupcake.
- Make sure the cupcakes are chilled completely before frosting, or else they will begin to melt and run.
- When making the frosting, mix the butter and cream cheese slowly. Before adding the powdered sugar and salt, we want to make sure the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Make sure to cream the butter for 4-5 minutes before adding the cream cheese. We know it seems like a long time, but the finished product will be smooth and creamy!
- Don't use too much heavy cream in the frosting. Add less than you think you'll need. You can always add more if necessary, but once it's in the frosting, it can be difficult to adjust the texture if it becomes too thin or runny.
- When adding heavy cream to the frosting, use room-temperature heavy cream. Chilled heavy cream might cause the frosting to stiffen and seize up.
- To freeze. Freeze fully frosted cupcakes in airtight containers for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight. It’s best to freeze the cupcakes separately from the frosting whenever possible, as the cream cheese frosting will change in texture over time.
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