Rich, chocolatey black velvet Halloween cake has a deep chocolate flavor and moist, velvety texture. It's filled and frosted with black cocoa buttercream for a true, decadent chocolate pairing! It's scary good!
If you're looking for other Halloween inspired recipes check out my chocolate pumpkin cupcakes or Harry Potter butterbeer cupcakes!
Why You'll Love this Black Velvet Halloween Cake
It's super chocolatey- Black cocoa gives this cake it's unique, amazing flavor and texture. It's 10x richer than regular chocolate cake and tastes like an Oreo!
It's got the best texture- This cake is velvety! It's super moist and super soft. Each bite truly melts in your mouth.
It's the perfect Halloween cake! Black cocoa and just a little bit of black food coloring bring this spooky cake to life! It's covered in some fun Halloween sprinkles to add a pop of color. This is the perfect cake to make for any Halloween party!
Ingredients for Black Velvet Halloween Cake
- Butter- make sure it's softened
- Granulated White Sugar- used to sweeten the cake
- Eggs- make sure they're room temperature
- Vanilla- as always, I recommend vanilla bean paste for the best flavor
- Buttermilk- keeps the cake extra moist, make sure it's room temperature
- Flour- all purpose flour is used for the best crumb
- Black Cocoa Powder- I used this one, gives the cake and buttercream the most incredible dark chocolate flavor
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder- give the cake it's fluffy texture
- Salt- just a little helps to bring out all the flavors
- Coffee- hot coffee helps to enhance the chocolate flavor in the cake
- Black Food Coloring- optional, but a few drops help to deepen the black color of the cake
- Powdered Sugar- used to sweeten the chocolate buttercream
- Heavy Cream- used to give the chocolate buttercream a silky smooth consistency
- Halloween Sprinkles- I used these ones, optional, but add some fun decoration to the cake
Step by Step Instructions
See recipe below for complete measurements and baking time.
STEP ONE: Cream butter and sugar together
STEP TWO: Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until pale in color
STEP THREE: Whisk flour, black cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together
STEP FOUR: Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk a little at a time to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and combine
STEP FIVE: Mix in hot coffee and black food coloring
STEP SIX: Divide the batter between 3 greased 6" cake pans and bake, then let cool.
STEP SEVEN: Make the chocolate buttercream by whipping the butter. Then add in the black cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Mix in a few tablespoons heavy cream until the frosting is light and fluffy.
See recipe below for complete measurements and baking time.
Assembling the Black Velvet Cake
FOR THESE STEPS YOU'LL NEED
- a cake scrapper
- a rotating cake turntable
- a cake frosting spatula
- a sharp knife
- a piping bag fitted with a large decorative tip (I love Wilton's 1M tip)
- plastic straws (optional)
GETTING PERFECTLY SIZED CAKE LAYERS
Once the cakes are completely cooled, begin to make each layer as similar in size as possible. Usually you will only have to cut the tops off of each cake layer. With a sharp knife, remove the tops from each cake layer until each are flat and can be stacked evenly. So, each layer should sit flat on each other without the cake leaning. (These cakes shouldn't dome too much, so you should only have to remove a little off the tops.)
CREATING THE CRUMB LAYER:
Then place a dollop of black cocoa buttercream in the center of your cake turntable. Place the first cake layer over it. Then add a generous portion of black cocoa buttercream on top of the cake layer and even it out with your frosting spatula, turning the cake table as you go. Place the next cake layer over top and repeat the step. Then place the final layer over the top and place small dollops of black cocoa buttercream on the outsides and top of the cake. Even out the frosting as much as possible with your frosting spatula
Then with your cake scraper, scrape the icing across the cake, turning the cake table as you go to make this as easy as possible. This layer of frosting should be very thin. This is called the "crumb layer" and will ensure that the cake’s final coating of frosting is smooth and free of crumbs. Consider putting a few plastic straws through the cake at this point if it needs stability to stand up straight.
FINAL FROSTING LAYER
Once the crumb layer of frosting has been applied, place the cake in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to allow the frosting to firm up. Once the cake has chilled in the fridge, remove it and apply the final coating of frosting. Apply generous dollops of frosting on the sides and top of the cake and smooth them out with your cake frosting spatula. Then with your cake scraper even out the frosting, turning the cake table as you go, to give you an even coating of black cocoa buttercream.
DECORATING THE CAKE
Place the remaining black cocoa buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a large decorative tip. Take your Halloween sprinkles and press them on to the outside of the cake. I chose to keep the sprinkles just on the bottom of the cake but you could coat the entire outside if you wanted! Sprinkle more sprinkles on top of the cake. Go around the outside edges of the cake and pipe decorative swirls of black cocoa buttercream. Sprinkle more sprinkles on top and then serve!
FAQs
Do I have to use coffee in the cake? No, you can replace the hot coffee with hot water if you wish. The coffee does help to enhance the chocolate flavor though.
Do I have to use black cocoa powder? No you can use just regular Dutch process cocoa powder for a traditional chocolate cake.
How do I store the cake? Store the cake in an airtight container for up to three days. You can also slice and wrap individual pieces and freeze them for up to two weeks.
Can I bake the cake in two 8" pans instead of three 6" pans? Yes you sure can. I've only tested this recipe with 6" pans however. Bake the cakes at 350 degrees and begin checking for doneness around 35 minutes. Add more time as needed.
Pro Tips
Keep your buttercream at the perfect temperature. Buttercream can be tricky to work with sometimes if it gets too warm. Pop the frosting in the fridge for 10-15 minutes if you notice it gets too soft. Then when ready to use, remove and whip again to get it back to it's fluffy texture. Then frost the cake!
Use 6-inch parchment paper rounds on the bottom of your cake pans. This really helps the cakes not stick to the bottoms.
Use a food scale to weigh the batter and make sure it's evenly distributed between each cake pan. This will give you the most even layers after baking.
Make sure all your wet ingredients are room temperature. This will give you the best textured cake.
If you make this cake please leave a star rating! Tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
Other Recipes to Try
Harry Potter Butterbeer Cupcakes
📖 Recipe
Black Velvet Halloween Cake
Ingredients
For the Black Velvet Cake
- 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¾ cup (84 g) black cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated white sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) hot coffee
- 5-6 drops black food coloring, optional
For the Black Cocoa Buttercream
- 2 cups (448 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (112 g) black cocoa powder, sifted
- 4 cups (520 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 4-6 tablespoon heavy cream
- 4-5 drops black food coloring, optional
Instructions
For the Black Velvet Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 6" cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, black cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, ¾ cup (84 g) black cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl. Cream together for 1-2 minutes with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy.¾ cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened, 2 cups (400 g) granulated white sugar
- Then add in the eggs and vanilla and mix for 1-2 minutes on medium speed until pale in color.3 eggs, at room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the butter/sugar/egg mixture a little at a time, mixing on medium-low speed, until all is combined together.1 ¼ cups (300 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- Lastly mix in the hot coffee and a few drops of black food coloring on medium low speed.½ cup (120 ml) hot coffee, 4-5 drops black food coloring, optional
- Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans.
- Bake the cakes for 38-44 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the centers with just a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for five minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to completely cool.
For the Black Cocoa Buttercream
- While the cakes are cooling make the frosting by adding the softened, unsalted butter and salt to a large bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on high speed until the butter is pale in color and fluffy, about 5-10 minutes.2 cups (448 g) unsalted butter, softened, ½ teaspoon salt
- Next sift in the black cocoa powder. Mix until combined on medium-low speed.1 cup (112 g) black cocoa powder, sifted
- Then sift in the powdered sugar a cup at a time until it is all combined. Mix on medium-low speed. The frosting will be thick at this point.4 cups (520 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- Add in the heavy cream, a tablespoon at a time. Mix on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. (Add the heavy cream as necessary. If the frosting is light and fluffy after only 4 tablespoons, don't add the full amount. If it's still too dry after 6 tablespoons, add more.)4-6 tablespoon heavy cream
- Lastly, mix in a few drops of black food coloring, optional.4-5 drops black food coloring, optional
Assembling the Cake
- One the cakes are cooled fill each layer and frost the outside with black cocoa buttercream. Add sprinkles to the top and outside of the cake. See the blog post above for all the step by step instructions along with photos.
What a wonderful cake! Lovely recipe! Thank you so much! I substituted butter to cottage cheese in the frosting (as it's too fat for me) but the result was excellent!
Hi Olga, I'm so glad you enjoyed the cake! Thanks for making it 🙂
Loved this recipe!! Thank you so much
If only i had your cake decorating skills!! This is “hauntingly” beautiful!
It is unclear if the"Dark chocolate" in the frosting is referring to semi-sweet, bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate. You should clarify as dark chocolate is all three of those. Thank you.
The cake looked amazing on the site and I'm certain there is something I did wrong but it came out just awful. I was so disappointed as this was for my daughter's October birthday (I always bake her a Halloween themed cake). The cake was like a brick 😢
Hi Stephanie! The cake definitely is a super soft, moist and fudgy cake. I've never had it come out as a "brick" so I'm not sure what went wrong. Perhaps the leavening agents weren't as fresh as they could be, or too much flour was used?
So fudgy and delicious! Best Halloween cake ever!!
I used 3 6 inch cake pans but they all overflowed, smoking up my house and leaving my oven a mess. Instead of cutting off the high centers, I ended up cutting off crusty edges. I also have a bunch of frosting left over. How deep are your pans? Anyway the samples I tried are good. Made for a hocus pocus watch party. Bet no magic will be involved when this cake disappears.
Hi David. The pans I use are 2 inches deep. Sorry to hear they overflowed for you!
Hi, I’m making your black velvet cake. Just a quick question. In the description you mention you use 60% dark chocolate slightly cooled after melting into the buttercream, but in the recipe method you use black cocoa powder. Which would be the best to use
Hey Natalie! Sorry about any confusion! The black cocoa buttercream in the recipe card is the correct recipe for the frosting 🙂
I was so excited to make this but my cakes turned out very runny, any tips on preventing this?