Ghostly Black Velvet Cake
A sinfully rich, deep, dark chocolatey cake frosted with sweet vanilla buttercream! Perfect for any Halloween gathering!
Ingredients
Black Velvet Cake:
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup black cocoa powder (I used King Arthur brand)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk*
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
Vanilla Buttercream:
- 1 ½ cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 4-6 Tablespoons heavy cream
To Decorate:
- Purple gel food coloring
- Sprinkles
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line four 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and grease with butter or nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir the boiling water, espresso powder, and semi-sweet chocolate together until chocolate has dissolved and mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together until combined.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla together. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Add the cooled espresso-chocolate mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly among the four pans and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Make the Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, salt, and vanilla on high until fluffy and pale in color, about 4-5 minutes.
- Decrease speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time. Add 4 Tablespoons of heavy cream and beat until combined. Add more heavy cream, if buttercream is too thick.
- Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
To Assemble:
- Place one cake layer onto a cake plate or pedestal. Spread an even layer of buttercream on top. Place another cake layer on top, and repeat steps until the final layer of cake is added. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to stabilize cake for easier frosting.
- Once chilled and solid, frost the entire cake with buttercream, then return to the freezer until buttercream has hardened, about 30 minutes.
To Decorate:
- Place 1/2 cup of the buttercream into a separate bowl, and dye it purple. Place another 1/2 cup of buttercream into another bowl and add dye it light purple.
- Add thick patches of each color all around the cake, then use some of the reserved white to go over any large empty spots. Finally, use an offset spatula to smooth the buttercream all around the cake until you’ve got the look you want.
- To make the ghosts, transfer some white buttercream to a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip (I used Ateco #807). Take the piping bag and position the piping tip close to the side of the cake. Using a little pressure, squeeze the piping bag until a circle of buttercream forms on the side of the cake, then slowly drag to create a little curl as you lessen the pressure and pull away from the cake. Add black sprinkles for the eyes.
- Transfer the rest of the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe a border on top. Add sprinkles along the sides of the cake and on top of the buttercream border, if desired.
Notes
*If you don't have buttermilk, simply add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup, then add enough milk to equal 1 cup.