Black Velvet Jack-O’-Lantern Cupcakes

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Black Velvet Jack-O’-Lantern Cupcakes

These black velvet jack-o’-lantern cupcakes have a soft, velvety crumb and rich chocolate flavor from black cocoa powder. Decorated with orange American buttercream and simple jack-o’-lantern faces, they’re a spooky & adorable dessert for Halloween!

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 18

Total Time 1 18

Servings28 cupcakes

Coursecupcakes

CuisineAmerican

AuthorSloane

Equipment

Ingredients

For the black velvet cupcakes:

240 g (2 cups) cake flour
50 g (½ cup + 1.5 tbsp) black cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
113 g (8 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
270 g (1 ⅓ cup) granulated sugar
150 g (¾ cup) neutral oil
2 eggs, separated
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
113 g (½ cup) buttermilk, room temp
113 g (½ cup) sour cream, room temp

For the American buttercream:

454 g (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
454 g (4 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
Orange food gel
Black food gel

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Instructions

For the black velvet cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line two cupcake pans with parchment cups.
In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar. Use an electric hand mixer to beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the oil, egg yolks, vanilla, and vinegar, and mix until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low speed until just combined.
Add the buttermilk and sour cream and mix.
In a separate small bowl, add the egg whites and use an electric hand mixer to beat until stiff peaks form.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped egg whites into the batter until fully combined.
Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, add one scoop to each parchment cup.
Bake the cupcakes one pan at a time for about 18-20 minutes until the centers spring back when touched.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating.

For the American buttercream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the room temp unsalted butter. Beat on medium speed for about 10 minutes until fluffy and very white.
While mixing on low speed, add the sifted powdered sugar a little at a time.
Once all of the powdered sugar has been added and well combined, take about ¼ cup of the buttercream and place in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 10 seconds until melted, then pour back into the buttercream. Continue mixing on low speed until smooth.
Remove about 1 cup of buttercream and place in a separate bowl. Mix in a few drops of black food gel. Set aside.
Mix in several drops of orange food gel to the remaining buttercream. Transfer to a piping bag with a large star piping tip.

For decorating:

Pipe the orange buttercream onto each cupcake.
Gently press each cupcake upside down onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
Gently peel the cupcakes off of the parchment paper.
Place your parchment stencil on top of one cupcake. Using a small offset spatula, spread an even layer of black buttercream, then gently peel back the stencil. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and enjoy!

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients. Room temperature eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream incorporate more easily, while properly softened butter helps create a smooth buttercream.
Let the cupcakes cool completely. Even slightly warm cupcakes can soften the frosting and make the upside down method messy. Give them plenty of time to cool before piping!
Whip the butter for a full 10 minutes. To get a really white, fluffy buttercream, be sure to beat the butter on medium speed for a full 10 minutes.
Use a stencil for the jack-o'-lantern face. I had ChatGPT create an outline for me that I traced on parchment paper.

Nutrition Facts

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