Black Velvet Cake

5 from 2 votes

This black velvet cake features three soft, moist 6-inch cake layers and a rich black cocoa American buttercream. Black cocoa powder gives it a deep, dark color without food coloring, while buttermilk and yogurt add that signature velvet cake tang.

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 25

Total Time 1 25

Servings12 slices

Coursecake

CuisineAmerican

AuthorSloane

Equipment

Ingredients

For the black velvet cake:

240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
50 g (½ cup + 1.5 tbsp) black cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
113 g (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
270 g (1 ⅓ cups) granulated sugar
150 g (¾ cup) neutral oil
2 eggs, separated
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
113 g (½ cup) plain greek yogurt, room temp
113 g (½ cup) buttermilk, room temp

For the chocolate buttercream:

340 g (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
300 g (2 ⅔ cups) powdered sugar, sifted
42 g (½ cup) black cocoa powder, sifted
113 g (⅔ cup) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

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Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and line three 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until fully combined.
Add the oil, egg yolks, vanilla, and vinegar, and beat until completely combined.
Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Mix in the yogurt and buttermilk until fully combined.
In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.
Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter until fully combined.
Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, using a kitchen scale or cookie scoop to distribute the batter evenly.
Bake the cakes for 25-35 minutes or until the top of the cakes spring back when you touch them and the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans.
Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely.

For the buttercream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy and very pale, about 10 minutes.
Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the powdered sugar a little at a time, followed by the black cocoa powder.
Lastly, mix in the melted chocolate. Continue mixing on low speed until smooth.

For assembly:

About 30 minutes before decorating, place the cake layers in the freezer. This will make it easier to frost and remove the need for a crumb coat!
When ready to decorate, secure the first layer of cake on the cake stand with a small amount of buttercream on the bottom. Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to measure out the buttercream for each layer. I used a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop and put 3 scoops on each layer.
Cover the whole cake in an even layer of buttercream. Use a cake scraper to smooth out the top and sides of the cake.
Transfer the remaining frosting to a piping bag with a small star tip.
Pipe a border around the top and bottom of the cake.
Decorate with Halloween sprinkles, as desired.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients. Softened butter and room temperature eggs, buttermilk, and yogurt mix together more easily for an evenly combined batter. Fold in the whipped egg whites gently to preserve their volume.
Cool the cake and melted chocolate before assembling. The cake layers should be completely cool before frosting, and the melted chocolate should be cool but still pourable before adding it to the buttercream. Warm cake or chocolate can soften the frosting.
Whip the butter for a full 10 minutes. To get a really light, fluffy buttercream, be sure to beat the butter on medium speed for a full 10 minutes.
Measure the frosting between layers. Use a cookie scoop to portion equal amounts of buttercream between the layers. This helps keep the cake level and leaves you with neat, even slices!

Nutrition Facts

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