Black Velvet Cake

5 from 1 vote

Unveil the magic of Halloween with this Black Velvet Cake. Infused with deep cocoa and rich coffee undertones, it's draped in a shadowy black cocoa frosting. A bewitching treat that's sure to cast a spell on every chocolate lover's soul!

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Cooling time30

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 532kcal

Author: Briana

Equipment

4 6-inch cake pans
parchment paper
baking spray
baking sheet
hand mixer (or stand mixer with a paddle and whisk attachment)

Ingredients

Black velvet cake

¾ cup black cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
1.5 cups white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 large eggs, room temperature
⅔ cup avocado oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
½ cup hot espresso or strong brewed coffee

Black cocoa cream cheese frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened (1 cup)
16 ounces full fat cream cheese, cold (2 blocks)
¾ cup black cocoa powder
3-5 cups powdered sugar (added as needed to achieve the correct consistency)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature (added really slowly to achieve the right consistency)

Instructions

Black velvet cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease four 6-inch cake pans with baking spray, then dust with black cocoa powder and add parchment paper rounds to prevent any sticking.
In a large mixing bowl, sift in 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1.5 cups of white sugar, ¾ cup of black cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Use a whisk to make sure everything is evenly dispersed. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, add the eggs, ⅔ cup of avocado oil, 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, and 2 teaspoons of distilled white vinegar. Whisk the mixture until completely combined.
Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. We like to add about ⅓ of the wet ingredients at a time until completely combined. Mix the batter until smooth on low speed, but not much more than that. Be sure to scrape the sides to ensure everything is incorporated.
Pour in the ½ cup of hot espresso or strong coffee while whisking to prevent cooking the eggs in the batter. Continue mixing until completely combined and smooth. The batter will be quite wet. Add the batter to the prepared cake tins and try to separate out the batter as evenly as possible, using a food scale for the most precise results.
Place the cake pans on a baking sheet so that you can easily get them in and out of the oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool in the tins for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Black cocoa cream cheese frosting

While the cake layers cool, make the frosting. In a mixing bowl, mix together 2 sticks of 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.
Add in the 2 blocks of cold 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.
Sift in about 3 cups of powdered sugar to start, along with ¾ cup of black cocoa powder, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt.
Mix on low speed to combine, and add in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Add more powdered sugar or a little room temperature heavy cream (about a ½ a tablespoon at a time!) to thin if desired until the consistency is where you'd like it. 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.
Frost and stack the cake according to your preference! The recipe will make a lot of frosting to fully frost this cake. Add sprinkles if desired for decoration. Enjoy!
Store the frosted cake in the refrigerator to keep the cream cheese frosting from spoiling. Store in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so before serving for the best texture.

Notes

- Make ahead. The frosting and cake layers can be made in advance and stored in the fridge (or freezer for the cake layers) for easy assembly. It can also make your life a little easier and help to ensure you take your time at each step!
- Freezing the cake. Freeze cake pieces in tightly wrapped plastic wrap for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight. It’s best to freeze the cake layers separately from the frosting whenever possible, as the cream cheese frosting will change in texture over time. The cake layers can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Use room temperature ingredients for the cake batter. Ingredients at room temperature will mix together much more smoothly. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time, including the eggs, buttermilk, and heavy cream

- For the frosting, we prefer working with cold butter and cream cheese. Cream cheese frosting can become a little runny over time, but for frosting that is on the stiffer side, take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before using, and that’s it. You want the butter and cream cheese to be quite cold so that they hold their shape.

- Measure accurately. Use a kitchen scale if you have one, as the sizes of cups vary. Accurate measurements can take a baked good from good to great!

- Don't overmix the cake batter. Mix your cake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cake layers are tender and fluffy, instead of tough and dense.

- For even cake layers, weigh the cake batter in the pans with a food scale. If you make sure there is roughly the same amount of batter in each pan, you will have nice even layers for the cake. They will bake up evenly as well.

- Bang the cake pans on the counter before baking in the oven to bring any trapped air bubbles to the surface.

- Chilled cake layers are easier to frost and level. Place in the fridge or freezer before assembling the cake if you have time.

- Take your time when creaming the butter and cream cheese for the frosting. We want to make sure we have a nice and smooth mixture with no lumps before adding in the powdered sugar and salt. Be sure to cream the butter for 4-5 minutes, and then cream cheese for another 3-4 minutes. We know it feels like a long time, but this will ensure a smooth and creamy result! Also don’t forget to scrape the bowl.

- Don’t add too much heavy cream to the frosting. Seriously, add less than you think you need. You can always add more if needed, but once it’s added to the frosting, it can be tricky to improve the texture if the frosting becomes too thin or runny.

- Be sure to use room-temperature heavy cream when adding it to the frosting. Cold cream from the fridge can cause the frosting to seize up.

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