Description
Rich chocolate meets luxurious black cocoa in this Black Velvet Cake, creating a dramatic dessert that mesmerizes with deep color and intense flavor. Silky layers promise pure indulgence, inviting you to savor each elegant, velvety bite of this show-stopping celebration centerpiece.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (75g) black cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
Cake Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup (240g) hot water
- 2 teaspoons (5g) instant espresso
- 1 cup (240g) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (110g) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs (112g), room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients:
- 2 cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (100g) black cocoa powder for frosting
- 5 cups (625g) powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup (180g) heavy cream
- 1 1/3 cups (230g) dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare the oven by heating to 350°F and preparing three 8-inch cake pans with parchment lining and light greasing.
- Create the dry mixture by thoroughly blending flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Dissolve espresso powder in hot water, then whisk in buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and well-integrated.
- Gently fold wet ingredients into dry mixture, stirring carefully until just combined to maintain a tender cake texture.
- Evenly distribute batter across prepared cake pans, ensuring consistent layers and smooth surfaces.
- Bake in preheated oven for 24-27 minutes, checking doneness with a toothpick that should come out clean when inserted into cake center.
- While cakes cool, prepare frosting by creaming butter, then incorporating cocoa powder and vanilla extract.
- Gradually mix in powdered sugar and heavy cream until achieving a silky, spreadable consistency.
- Fold in melted dark chocolate to enhance frosting’s richness and depth of flavor.
- Once cakes are completely cooled, carefully layer with frosting between each cake tier.
- Apply remaining frosting to completely cover cake’s exterior, smoothing surfaces for a polished finish.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients to ensure smooth mixing and even baking of the cake layers.
- Sift dry ingredients to prevent lumps and create a more uniform texture in the batter.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend and add xanthan gum for better structure.
- Enhance chocolate flavor by using high-quality dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content in both cake and frosting.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 500
- Sugar: 45g
- Sodium: 350mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 62g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 50mg