Black Velvet Cupcakes

Name: Black Velvet Cupcakes
Prep time: 1 h 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; 25 g (1/4 cup) black cocoa powder; 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp fine sea salt; 1 large egg, room temperature; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp distilled white vinegar; 60 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil; 125 ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk, room temperature, we use full fat; 80 ml (1/3 cup) strong hot coffee; 170 g (6 oz) full-fat block cream cheese, room temperature; 240 g (2 cups) powdered sugar; 50 g (1/2 cup) black cocoa powder; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/8 tsp fine sea salt; 1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream

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These Halloween themed Black Velvet Cupcakes are unbelievably tender and are perfect for bringing to a festive party. They’re made with black cocoa powder and topped with a beautifully colored cream cheese frosting.

These Black Velvet Cupcakes are a dramatic spin on a classic red velvet cake. The black cocoa is what gives them their signature color as well as a rich, slightly Oreo-y taste. We paired them with a silky smooth cream cheese frosting that’s super decadent and naturally colored with the black cocoa powder.

These cupcakes are elegant enough to bring to a fancy dinner party, and fun for kids to decorate with their favorite sprinkles.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
Kitchen Equipment
Step-by-Step Instructions
Expert Tips
FAQ
Baking in Grams
Storage & Freezing
📖 Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Perfect Velvety Texture: One of our favorite things about these black velvet cupcakes is their amazing texture. They have a tight crumb that’s moist, bouncy, and super fluffy. Kind of like store bought cupcakes minus the the laundry list of ingredients. All this is thanks to the combination of buttermilk, vinegar, and baking soda.
Color: The black cocoa powder adds a gothic touch to these cupcakes due to its jet black color. It’s ultra Dutch-processed which lowers its acidity, giving it a darker hue.
Easy Recipe: The cupcakes come together in one bowl and the frosting takes less than 10 minutes to make.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you’ll find notes on why we chose certain ingredients as well as any substitutions.

Unbleached All-Purpose Flour: It’s best to measure with a scale rather than cups to ensure accurate results.
Black Cocoa Powder: As mentioned above, black cocoa powder is ultra-dutch processed, which is a process that alkalizes the cocoa and results in a darker color.
Granulated Sugar: Caster sugar will work too.
Baking Soda: This reacts with the acids in the batter (buttermilk and vinegar) to lift and give these cupcakes their velvety texture.
Salt: We use fine sea salt.
Egg: Set it out 1-2 hours before using or place in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes to bring it to room temperature.
Pure Vanilla Extract: Just a splash to tie the flavors together.
Vinegar: We used distilled white vinegar but white wine vinegar should work too.
Buttermilk: We use full-fat buttermilk, but regular is fine. It might be slightly less moist, but there shouldn’t be a huge difference overall. Just make sure it’s room temperature before using.
Vegetable Oil: This adds moisture to the cupcakes, balancing out the dryness from the cocoa powder.
Hot Coffee: The extra bit of liquid helps to tenderize and moisten the cupcakes even more, and the coffee adds more depth to the chocolate.
Cream Cheese: Bring it to room temperature before using.
Powdered Sugar: For sweetening the frosting.
Heavy Cream: This helps to thin out and lighten the cream cheese frosting.

Kitchen Equipment

Step-by-Step Instructions

This section provides a general overview as well as any pictures to guide you through the recipe. The full detailed recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Wet ingredients added to bowl of dry ingredients.

STEP 1: Combine the dry ingredients. To a large bowl, add the flour, black cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.

STEP 2: Add the wet ingredients. To the same bowl, add the egg, vanilla extract, vinegar, vegetable oil, and buttermilk. Mix until well combined. Gradually add the hot coffee and whisk until smooth and well combined. The batter will be quite thin.

Muffin tin with liners filled with batter.

STEP 3: Fill the cupcake liners. In a muffin tin lined with paper liners, fill the wells ⅔ of the way with batter. This allows room for the cupcakes to rise without spilling over.

STEP 4: Bake. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350°F (180°C) or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. A few moist crumbs are ok as long as there’s no wet batter. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Black Velvet Cupcakes with a piping bag.

STEP 5: Make the cream cheese frosting. Beat the cream cheese for 1 minute until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, black cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low speed then add the heavy cream and mix until smooth.

STEP 6: Pipe and decorate the cupcakes. Fill a piping bag with frosting and pipe onto the cupcakes. We use a Wilton 1M piping tip, but you can use whatever you like. Decorate as desired and enjoy!

Expert Tips

Bring wet ingredients (except the coffee) to room temperature. This is key for proper batter consistency and an even cupcake texture.
Don’t open the oven until almost done. It can be tempting to check on your cupcakes early on, but since this batter is very wet, it’s prone to sinking if heat gets released from the oven too early in the baking process.

FAQ

What makes these black velvet cupcakes?

Velvet cakes get their name from their velvety texture resulting from a combination of baking soda and an acid (typically vinegar). This along with buttermilk (another acidic ingredient) yields a delicious tender cake. Unlike red velvet cake, this recipe gets its coloring from the type of cocoa powder used.

Why are my cupcakes not the same color as pictured?

It’s probably due to the brand of cocoa powder. This is the black cocoa powder we use which has a really nice jet black hue. You can always add a few drops of black gel food coloring to darken your frosting if needed.

Do I have to use hot coffee?

Yes. It adds a lot of depth to the cupcakes and enhances the chocolate. It won’t taste like coffee, it’ll just make your black velvet cupcakes extra delicious!

Baking in Grams

All of our baking recipes are carefully tested using grams so that you get a beautiful and delicious baked good every time. While we provide cup measurements, we can’t guarantee that they’ll produce good results. There’s more room for error when using cups, and how you pack your ingredients can make a significant difference. This is why we recommend measuring by weight so you’re guaranteed for success in the kitchen! All you need is a kitchen scale and you’re good to go!

Storage & Freezing

Storing: Cover and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezing: For unfrosted cupcakes, double wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a large freezer bag. We typically wrap 6 at a time. If the cupcakes are already frosted, place them on a baking sheet and freeze them uncovered until firm (a few hours). Once hardened, place them in an airtight container or wrap as previously mentioned, being careful not to squish the frosting. Store for up to 3 months and thaw when ready to serve.

If you tried this recipe, let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating and review below and tag us on Instagram @fancifuleats so we can see your amazing kitchen creations!