Severe chocolate lovers will adore black velvet cupcakes. These ultra-rich and fudgy chocolate cupcakes get their deep darkish hue from black cocoa powder—no black meals coloring wanted. Identical to with purple velvet cupcakes, buttermilk and vinegar assist create a velvety, tender texture that’s as tender as a kitten… making these the purr-fect selection for Halloween black cat cupcakes! 😉
Right this moment’s black velvet cupcakes are as gorgeous as they’re scrumptious. The jet-black coloration makes them good for Halloween (or any event that requires one thing dramatic!). The flavour is deep, {smooth}, and complicated… suppose Oreo meets velvet cake. You possibly can maintain issues easy with a swirl of black cocoa chocolate buttercream, or have some enjoyable turning them into black cat cupcakes with some candies and sprinkles.
Why Black Velvet Will Be Your New Favourite Cupcake Taste:
- Wealthy, fudgy, ultra-smooth chocolate taste
- No mixer required for the batter
- Comfortable, tender, velvety texture
- No meals coloring wanted
- Suits proper in with these Halloween recipes
- Cat cupcakes! Want I say extra?
What Is Black Cocoa Powder?
Black cocoa, I realized, is comprised of cocoa beans which have been closely alkalized—much more than common Dutch-process cocoa. Dutch-process cocoa is washed in an alkaline answer to neutralize acidity, giving it a darker coloration and smoother taste (suppose Oreo cookies).
Black cocoa takes this one step additional. It’s ultra-Dutched, leading to an intense black coloration, mellow chocolate taste, and really low acidity. As a result of it’s not acidic, it doesn’t react with baking soda the identical manner pure cocoa does, so it’s often paired with baking powder as an alternative.
On this recipe, we use a exact mixture of black cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, vinegar, and buttermilk. These acids and bases steadiness one another completely for a tender, velvety crumb and deep chocolate taste. I don’t advocate any substitutions, as altering the recipe won’t produce the identical desired outcome. (And we don’t wish to waste your time, effort, components, and cash!)
For those who’d wish to study extra, right here’s some info on Dutch-Course of vs. Pure Cocoa Powder and Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder. Each pages clarify the science behind why we use these components in baking.
Key Components You Want for Black Velvet Cupcakes:
Along with the black cocoa powder, right here is every little thing else you want:
The opposite energy gamers listed below are the vinegar, buttermilk, oil, and scorching espresso. Right here’s a fast rundown on why each is so necessary:
- Vinegar: Vinegar (an acid) is added to purple velvet cake to create a chemical response with baking soda (a base) that produces carbon dioxide bubbles. These fuel bubbles increase because the cake bakes, making a fluffy crumb that’s gentle, ethereal, and “velvety” in texture. Identical scenario in right now’s cupcakes.
- Buttermilk: The acidity from each the vinegar and buttermilk additionally interferes with gluten improvement, which has a tenderizing impact. We would like our cupcakes to style tender and moist, not robust and chewy. For those who can’t discover buttermilk within the grocery retailer, do that DIY buttermilk substitute.
- Oil: Cocoa powder is a really drying ingredient, so we’d like the moisture from oil (and buttermilk) to step in.
- Espresso: Scorching liquid enhances the cocoa powder’s taste. It additionally encourages it to bloom and dissolve appropriately. For those who don’t drink espresso, you should utilize scorching water. For deeper and richer taste, although, use espresso—you possibly can’t style it. (And decaf espresso works!) You employ it on this chocolate cake recipe, too.
Now Let’s Bake Some Cupcakes!
Making the cupcake batter is so simple as whisking collectively the dry components, whisking collectively the moist components, after which combining the 2.
Count on a skinny batter: Cocoa powder takes the place of some flour, in order that’s why there may be so little flour in right now’s batter. The batter may be very skinny, so I like to recommend utilizing a bowl with a pour spout, so you possibly can simply pour the batter into the cupcake liners.
Success tip: Fill your cupcake liners solely 2/3 to three/4 full. Belief me, you don’t wish to fill them any increased, or they’ll overflow and sink within the middle. This recipe makes 14 or 15 cupcakes, so line a second muffin pan with 2 or 3 further liners, or bake in batches.
Black Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
This frosting is rather like my favourite chocolate buttercream, however black cocoa provides it an extra-dark coloration and a {smooth}, Oreo-like chocolate taste. We discovered that the black cocoa buttercream benefited from a contact extra heavy cream to {smooth} out correctly, and that recipe is beneath.
You possibly can pipe it in your cooled cupcakes, or just unfold it with a knife. And for those who’re turning them into black cats, see beneath. 😉
Tips on how to Beautify Black Cat Cupcakes
We used a big open star tip, Ateco 826, for the pictured cupcakes. A smaller model that produces an identical look is Wilton 1M. (Any open star tip works, although!) After piping the frosting, we sprinkled black sanding sugar on prime for a touch of shimmer and a “furry” texture.
For the cat’s options, you want a number of easy candies and sprinkles.
- Ears: Use a pointy knife to chop 2 rectangle items of a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar into 2 triangles.
- Eyes: Use yellow Reese’s Items. To make the pupils, switch a small quantity of the black chocolate frosting right into a small bowl, and whisk in somewhat water to skinny it out barely. Then use a toothpick to “paint” skinny traces on the Reese’s Items.
- Nostril & Whiskers: Decide up a sprinkle combine like this. Use the big orange ball sprinkle for the nostril and the lengthy orange jimmies/strands for the whiskers. Tweezers make placement simple.
It’s such a enjoyable, approachable solution to flip chocolate cupcakes into lovely black cats. Good for Halloween and simple sufficient for freshmen:
Description
These ultra-rich and fudgy black velvet cupcakes get their deep darkish hue from black cocoa powder—no black meals coloring wanted. Identical to with purple velvet cupcakes, buttermilk and vinegar assist create a velvety, tender texture that’s as tender as a kitten… making these the purr-fect selection for Halloween black cat cupcakes!
Cupcakes
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (42g) black cocoa powder (a darkish, Dutch-process cocoa)*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) buttermilk*, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (75g/80ml) vegetable oil
- 1 massive egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) scorching espresso* (decaf is okay) or scorching water
Frosting
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (42g) black cocoa powder (a darkish, Dutch-process cocoa)*
- 4–5 Tablespoons (60–75g/ml) heavy cream or milk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. This recipe yields 14–15 cupcakes, so line a second muffin pan with 2 or 3 extra liners (or bake in batches).
- In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Put aside.
- In a big bowl, ideally with a pour spout, whisk collectively the sugar, buttermilk, oil, egg, vanilla, and vinegar till mixed. Pour the dry components into the moist components, add the recent espresso, and whisk till the batter is totally mixed. The batter can be skinny.
- Pour the batter into the liners, filling solely 2/3 to three/4 full to keep away from overflowing and sinking.
- Bake for 20–22 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear. One other solution to take a look at for doneness is to calmly press your finger into the floor of the nice and cozy cupcake. If the cupcake bounces again, they’re executed. In case your finger leaves an imprint, they want extra bake time.
- Permit cupcakes to chill within the pan for 10–20 minutes, after which switch to a cooling rack to chill fully earlier than frosting.
- Make the frosting: With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium pace till creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, 1/4 cup (60g/ml) of the cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low pace for 30 seconds, then enhance to excessive pace and beat for 1 full minute. If the frosting appears too thick, beat in one other Tablespoon of cream.
- Frost cooled cupcakes and prime with sprinkles, if desired. You possibly can swipe the frosting on with an icing knife or use a piping tip similar to Ateco 826. For cat cupcakes, see recipe Notice.
- Retailer cupcakes at room temperature for as much as 2 days or within the fridge for as much as 4 days. I like to recommend a cupcake provider for storing and transporting adorned cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Forward Directions: You possibly can bake the cupcakes 1 day upfront. Hold cupcakes lined tightly at room temperature and frost the day of serving. Unfrosted cupcakes could be frozen for as much as 2 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge and produce to room temperature earlier than frosting and serving.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): 12-cup Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Mixing Bowls with Pour Spout | Whisk | Cooling Rack | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Ateco 826 Piping Tip or Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Cupcake Provider
- Black Cocoa Powder: For the pictured cupcakes, I used this black cocoa powder. King Arthur additionally makes a black cocoa powder. For those who can’t discover it, you should utilize any Dutch-process cocoa powder, however the cupcakes and frosting received’t be as darkish.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You may make your personal DIY buttermilk substitute if wanted. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add sufficient complete milk to the identical measuring cup till it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, lower-fat or nondairy milks can work for this soured milk, however the cupcakes received’t style as moist or wealthy.) Stir it round and let sit for five minutes. The do-it-yourself “buttermilk” can be considerably curdled and able to use within the recipe.
- Scorching Espresso: Scorching liquid enhances the cocoa powder’s taste. It additionally encourages it to bloom and dissolve appropriately. I promise these cupcakes don’t style like espresso in any respect! For those who don’t drink espresso, you should utilize scorching water. For deeper and richer taste, although, use espresso (common or decaf, however make sure that it’s black with no sugar or cream). You possibly can both brew it in a espresso maker or make instantaneous espresso.
- Mini Cupcakes: Fill mini liners solely midway and bake for 10–12 minutes at 350°F (177°C). Yields about 3 dozen.
- Why Room Temperature? All refrigerated objects must be at room temperature so the batter mixes collectively simply and evenly.
- Extra Success Suggestions: You’ll want to try my Tips on how to Use Piping Suggestions submit for directions on how one can fill a piping bag, and you too can learn my 10 Suggestions for Baking the BEST Cupcakes.
- Black Cat Cupcakes: To make black cat cupcakes, pipe frosting with a big open star tip (Ateco 826, Wilton 1M, or any open star tip), then sprinkle black sanding sugar on prime for a contact of shimmer and a “furry” texture. For the ears, reduce a Hershey’s chocolate bar into triangles and place 2 into every cupcake. For the eyes, use yellow Reese’s Items. Skinny out a Tablespoon of the frosting with a pair drops of water in a small bowl and use a toothpick to “paint” skinny vertical pupils onto every Reese’s Items. Place on the cat face below the ears. End with a massive orange ball sprinkle for the nostril and lengthy orange jimmies for whiskers.
