Black Velvet Cupcakes
When I was a kid, my birthday parties were always Halloween-themed since my big day was just a couple of days prior. So, Halloween has always been a special favorite of mine. This year, I decided that this recipe for black velvet cupcakes was just the ticket to celebrate both of these special days.
Everyone’s heard of red velvet cupcakes, but I had never heard of a black velvet cupcake before. Well, it turns out that the ingredient that makes the cake so very dark is a black Dutch cocoa, and it is used in both the cake and frosting. The resulting dark color of the cupcake is Oreo-cookie dark, and I think the flavor profile is somewhat reminiscent of Oreos as well.
Further, the addition of vegetable oil, sour cream, and buttermilk makes these cupcakes especially tender and moist. The cake flour helps in that regard as well. (If you don’t have any cake flour in your pantry, you can google instructions on how to convert all-purpose flour into cake flour using corn starch.) For a finishing touch, I had some orange, black, and white sprinkles which were the perfect topping for a Halloween-inspired cupcake.
I’ve decided these decadently dark and moist cupcakes have a fitting name as it feels like edible velvet as you devour them.
Happy Halloween!
Black Velvet Cupcakes
Makes 16 cupcakes
Ingredients for Cupcakes
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup black cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup sour cream – full fat or light is fine
- 1/2 cup buttermilk – room temperature
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
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Ingredients for Black Frosting
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter – softened to room temperature, but still slightly cold
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar – measured then sifted
- 3 tbl. black cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 to 2 tsp. heavy cream – if needed
- Black food coloring, optional
Directions for Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two regular-sized cupcake tins with cupcake liners and set aside. This recipe will make 16 cupcakes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the cake flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, or large liquid measuring cup, whisk the vegetable oil, sour cream, buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract, and white vinegar.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients (using a paddle attachment) and mix on low until ingredients are combined.
Portion the batter into the cupcake liners until half full (I used a size 20, 3-tablespoon sized cookie scoop to divide my batter evenly amongst the cupcake compartments).
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cupcakes
Remove and transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Directions for Black Frosting
Beat the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer until smooth and creamy about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Mix in the black cocoa powder, vanilla extract and black gel coloring if using, about 2 to 3 drops. Whip until smooth. Add a splash of heavy cream if needed to get desired consistency.
Frost the cooled cupcakes and add sprinkles if you’d like.
Store frosted cupcakes covered in the refrigerator.
Fran’s Notes
I’m not a fan of food dyes, so I decided to forego the black food coloring in the frosting.
Source: A recipe from Salt & Baker