Halloween Black Velvet Cake
This easy black velvet cake is made with one-bowl chocolate cake and fluffy chocolate-hazelnut buttercream! It’s rich, moist, pitch black, and the ultimate Halloween party dessert. Even better, it comes together super quickly and doesn’t use food coloring. It’s a chocolate lover’s dream cake!
Ingredients
Black Velvet Cake
- 1 1/4 c sugar (250 grams)
- 1 c buttermilk (240 milliliters)
- 2/3 c canola oil (150 milliliters)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour (180 grams)
- 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 c black cocoa powder (50 grams)
Chocolate-Hazelnut Buttercream
- 1 c unsalted butter, softened (226 grams)
- 1/2 c chocolate-hazelnut spread (148 grams)
- 4 c powdered sugar (480 grams)
- 1/2 c black cocoa powder (50 grams)
- 3-4 Tbs whole milk (45-60 milliliters), plus more as needed
- Pinch of Kosher salt
Equipment
- 3 6-inch cake pans
- Parchment paper
Instructions
Black Velvet Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease three 6-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth. Then, add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Whisk just until the batter forms - don't over-mix!
- Divide the batter evenly between the 3 cake pans (if you're using a scale, each should have about 315 grams of batter). Smooth with an offset spatula. Place the cake pans on a sheet pan.
- Bake the cakes for 22-23 minutes, until an inserted toothpick has just a few moist crumbs on it. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 5 minutes. Then, use a knife to loosen the cakes from the sides of the pans. Carefully flip the cakes out of the pans and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Buttercream
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and chocolate-hazelnut spread until it's light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and mix until smooth.
- Next, mix in the powdered sugar 1 cup (120 grams) at a time until a thick frosting forms. Add a pinch of salt and 3 Tablespoons (45 milliliters) of milk. Continue adding milk, 1 Tablespoon (15 milliliters) at a time, until you reach your desired texture. (The buttercream should be thick but spreadable.)
- Whip the buttercream for 2-3 minutes until it's fluffy. Set aside.
Assembly
- Using a serrated bread knife, cut the domes off of the tops of the cakes.
- Place one cake round on a plate or cake stand. Spread a thick layer of frosting on top. Top with another cake round, add frosting to the second layer, and top with the third cake round until you have a three layer cake.
- Frost the outside of the cake and use a bench scraper to smooth out the sides. Decorate as desired. Slice and enjoy with hot coffee or milk!
Notes
Bring the ingredients to room-temperature before you start making this recipe. It will help everything mix together evenly for a smooth batter.
To make buttermilk, add 1 Tablespoon (15 milliliters) of white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Fill with whole milk up to the 1 cup line (225 milliliters). Whisk with a fork and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
For the best results, measure the ingredients by weighing them on a food scale. If you don't have a food scale, you can use measuring cups, but you need to measure the flour and cocoa powder the right way! Measure the flour and cocoa by fluffing them with a fork, scooping them into a measuring cup, and leveling them off (without packing it in).
You can also make a 2-layer 8-inch cake if you'd prefer.
To make cupcakes, divide the batter evenly between 18 cupcake liners. Bake at 350°F for 15-17 minutes, until an inserted toothpick has just a few moist crumbs on it.
Chill the cake rounds for 20-30 minutes in the freezer before assembling the cakes. Since this cake is so light and moist, it's a bit crumbly. Freezing the rounds will make it so much easier to frost the cake.
Use a piping bag to pipe an even layer of frosting in-between each cake round. Then, use an offset spatula or butter knife to fill in the gaps.
This cake will make 8 thick or 12-16 thin slices.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 785kcal, Carbohydrates: 83.5g, Protein: 8.3g, Fat: 49.9g, Saturated Fat: 22.7g, Cholesterol: 104mg, Sodium: 569mg, Potassium: 450mg, Fiber: 4.8g, Sugar: 58g, Calcium: 92mg, Iron: 4mg
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