This black velvet cake is super soft, moist, and oh-so-dark. The secret to an ultra-dark color is black cocoa powder! Similar to my incredibly popular red velvet, white velvet, green velvet, and pink velvet cake recipes!
This is the best black velvet cake because it's rich, chocolatey, and has that classic velvet texture and flavor. Velvet cakes have a very soft and tender crumb (hence the name) and are different than a traditional chocolate cake. Thanks to a little buttermilk that tenderizes the cake, every bite is full of delicious chocolate flavor. I frost mine with bright buttercream because the colors POP against the black cake when you slice it.
Quick Glance at the Recipe: Black Velvet Cake
- Recipe Name: Black Velvet Cake
- Why You'll Love It: A soft, moist chocolate cake that bakes up naturally black, with no food coloring in the batter.
- Time and Difficulty: 20 minutes of prep and 30 to 35 minutes to bake, plus cooling. Easy to intermediate.
- Main Ingredients: Black cocoa powder, melted chocolate, buttermilk, hot coffee, butter, and oil.
- Method: Mix the chocolate liquids, cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs, then alternate the dry ingredients and chocolate mixture.
- Texture and Flavor: Soft, tender, and moist with a rich chocolate flavor.
- Quick Tip: Use 6 ounces of butter in the cake and don't over-bake it.
Jump to:
- Quick Glance at the Recipe: Black Velvet Cake
- What Makes This Black Velvet Cake So Good⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- What Is Black Cocoa Powder?
- Black Velvet Cake Ingredients
- How To Make Black Velvet Cake Step-By-Step
- Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
- Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
- Cups of Batter Needed
- Cups of Frosting Needed
- Common Black Velvet Cake Problems To Avoid
- Final Thoughts
- Make This Recipe Your Own
- Black Velvet Cake FAQs
- More Velvet Cake Recipes To Try
- Ready To Master Cake Decorating?
- Leave Me A Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Recipe
What Makes This Black Velvet Cake So Good
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Here's why this one is my go-to when I want a dramatic cake.
- It's naturally black. Black cocoa powder gives you that ultra-dark color without dumping in food coloring.
- It stays moist. Buttermilk and oil keep the layers soft, and freezing the layers before frosting locks that moisture in.
- Rich chocolate flavor. Black cocoa, melted chocolate, and hot coffee all go into the batter.
- Bright frosting looks amazing on it. Pink, green, and yellow buttercream really stand out against a black cake.
- Three 8-inch layers. Enough for a nice tall cake that serves 24.
What Is Black Cocoa Powder?
Black cocoa powder is the most important ingredient in black velvet cake. This is the same type of cocoa powder they use to make Oreo cookies and has a very distinct flavor. It's also alkalized and has less fat content than dutched cocoa powder or natural cocoa powder so we are using a little more fat (oil) in this recipe to make up for that.
If you don't have black cocoa powder, you can use dutched cocoa powder, which will perform the same way as black cocoa powder, but the color won't be as dark, and the flavor will be a bit different. You can make up the color by adding in a bit of black food coloring. Hershey's also makes a Special Dark cocoa powder that you can find at the grocery store.
Did you know not all cocoa powder is created equally? Read my blog post on dutched or natural cocoa powder to find out how it can really affect the final cake!
Black Velvet Cake Ingredients
All my recipes are by weight so that they turn out. I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a digital kitchen scale for the most accurate results.
- Black cocoa powder: Gives the cake its color and flavor. I use Guittard Cocoa Noir.
- Melted chocolate: I use semi-sweet, but you could use any kind. I wouldn't use bark because it's not very tasty.
- Hot coffee: Strong and hot. You can swap it for hot water if you don't want to use coffee.
- Buttermilk: Warm. It tenderizes the cake and makes it a bit moister. No buttermilk? Use my buttermilk substitute.
- All purpose flour: The structure of the cake.
- Unsalted butter: Room temperature, for the cake and the frosting.
- Granulated sugar: Yes, the amount in the recipe card is correct!
- Eggs: Large, at room temperature.
- Vegetable oil: A little extra fat to make up for the lower fat in black cocoa.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Both give the cake its lift.
- Vanilla extract and salt: For flavor in the cake and the buttercream.
- Vegetable shortening and powdered sugar: For the buttercream. Sift your powdered sugar.
- Milk or water: Thins the buttercream.
- Food coloring: Optional. I used electric pink, electric green, and electric yellow food coloring.
How To Make Black Velvet Cake Step-By-Step
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat your oven to 350º F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans with cake goop or your preferred pan release, and bring your butter and eggs to room temperature.
- Whisk together the melted chocolate, cocoa powder, hot coffee, vanilla, and oil. It will look lumpy.
- Mix in the warm buttermilk until everything is combined, then set it aside.
- Whisk your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a medium bowl.
- Beat the softened butter in your stand mixer with the paddle attachment until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds.
- Gradually sprinkle in the sugar while mixing on low, then keep mixing until fluffy and almost white, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each one in fully before adding the next.
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then ⅓ of the chocolate mixture, and repeat two more times.
- Scrape the bowl and mix for 15 more seconds to make sure everything is combined.
PRO TIP: Don't over-mix! Over-mixing (or over-baking) is what makes the sides of a cake shrink.
- Divide the batter evenly between your pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cakes feel firm in the center and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
- Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then flip them out of the pans and freeze the layers for about 1 hour before frosting.
- Cream your softened butter with the whisk attachment until smooth.
- Add the shortening and cream it until smooth.
- Add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time while mixing on low.
- Add the salt, vanilla, and milk, then whip on medium for 10 to 15 minutes until very light and fluffy.
- Color your buttercream if you want to. Remember, the color will deepen after 24 hours.
- Fill, stack, and frost your chilled cake layers. New to this? Follow my how to decorate a cake tutorial.
PRO TIP: For a really deep color, melt a little of the buttercream, mix the color into the melted buttercream, then add it all back into the rest.
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
This recipe makes enough batter for three 8-inch round cake layers and enough buttercream to fill and frost them. Use the slider in the recipe card to change the number of servings, or use the calculator below to adjust the batter and frosting for other pan sizes.
Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator
Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.
Choose a pan type
Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)
Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)
Cupcake Tin Size
Choose number of pans
Cups of Batter Needed
8 cups
Cups of Frosting Needed
5 cups
Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.
Common Black Velvet Cake Problems To Avoid
- Using too much butter: The cake uses 6 ounces of butter. An old version of this recipe said 16 ounces, and that was a typo.
- Dry cake: You may have over-baked it. A cold cake can also seem dry because the butter in the cake is cold, so let it come to room temperature before serving.
- Sides shrinking: Either over-baking or over-mixing causes the sides of a cake to shrink.
- Crispy outside, undercooked middle: Your oven could be too hot. If the edges get hard before the center is set, check your oven temperature.
- Using chocolate bark: Use real chocolate for the melted chocolate. Bark doesn't taste very good.
- Frosting too thick: Add 1 to 2 more Tablespoons of water or milk to thin it down.
- Flat cupcakes: This batter is made for cake layers. For cupcakes, use my chocolate cupcake recipe instead.
Final Thoughts
If you've made any of my other velvet cakes, you already know how soft they are. This one just happens to be the darkest of the bunch. It's so fun for Halloween, and it's a great excuse to play with bright buttercream colors. For an easy Halloween treat, try my Halloween brownies too.
Make This Recipe Your Own
- Three 9-inch pans: Increase the recipe by half so you have a little more batter.
- Quarter sheet cake: I usually do a double batch and a half.
- 9x13 sheet cake: Yes, you can bake this recipe in a 9x13 pan.
- Tiered cakes and other pan sizes: You can use any cake recipe for a tiered cake, including this one. Use the cake batter calculator above to figure out how much batter you need for other pans, like a 10-inch square.
- No coffee: Swap the hot coffee for hot water.
- Pink filling: The pink filling in my photos is American buttercream colored pink. My easy buttercream frosting works great for this.
- Black frosting: Use super black food coloring and chocolate frosting as your base.
- Cupcakes: Use my chocolate cupcake recipe for cupcakes that dome nicely.
Black Velvet Cake FAQs
Is it 6 ounces or 16 ounces of butter in the cake?
6 ounces is correct for the cake. An earlier version of the recipe said 16 ounces, which was a typo. The buttercream uses 8 ounces of butter.
Can I make cupcakes with this recipe?
The batter can be baked as cupcakes, but they tend to bake up flat. For cupcakes with a nice dome, use my chocolate cupcake recipe instead.
What kind of chocolate should I use for the melted chocolate?
I use semi-sweet chocolate, but any kind of real chocolate works. I would not use chocolate bark or candy coating because the flavor isn't very good.
Is 16 ounces of sugar correct?
Yes, 16 ounces of granulated sugar is correct. If you want to use superfine sugar, use the same weight.
How do I store black velvet cake?
Keep the frosted cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. Let it come back to room temperature before serving. Wrapped, unfrosted layers can be frozen for up to 2 months.
More Velvet Cake Recipes To Try
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Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
Ingredients
For the black velvet cake
- 13 ounces AP flour
- 6 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
- 16 ounces granulated sugar
- 4 ounces black cocoa powder
- 2 ounces melted chocolate
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 ounces strong coffee hot
- 8 ounces buttermilk warm (110º F)
- 4 ounces vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
For the buttercream
- 8 ounces unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces vegetable shortening
- 24 ounces sifted powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 4 Tablespoons milk or water
- 2 teaspoons food coloring optional
Instructions
- Before you begin: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350º F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans with cake goop or your preferred pan release. Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature and warm the buttermilk.
For the black velvet cake
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted chocolate, cocoa powder, hot coffee, vanilla, and oil until combined (it will look lumpy).
- Mix in the warm buttermilk until everything is combined. Set it aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Add the softened butter to the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat at medium-high speed until smooth and shiny, about 30 seconds.
- While mixing on low, gradually sprinkle in the sugar. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and almost white, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- While mixing on low, add the eggs one at a time, mixing each in fully before adding the next.
- While mixing on low, add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then ⅓ of the chocolate mixture. Repeat two more times.
- Scrape the bowl and mix for 15 more seconds to make sure everything is combined. Don't over-mix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.
- Bake until the cakes feel firm in the center and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Transfer the pans to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes, then flip the cakes out of the pans. Freeze the layers for about 1 hour before frosting, which helps lock in the moisture.
For the buttercream
- Cream the softened butter with the whisk attachment until smooth.
- Add the vegetable shortening and cream until smooth.
- While mixing on low, add the sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time until combined.
- Add the salt, vanilla, and milk and whip on medium for 10 to 15 minutes until the buttercream is very light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add 1 to 2 more Tablespoons of water or milk.
- Add food coloring if you want colored frosting. I used electric pink, electric green, and electric yellow. The color will deepen after 24 hours.
- Fill, stack, and frost the chilled cake layers.
Video
Notes
- For more instructions on how to frost and decorate a cake you can follow this tutorial.
- If you don't use black cocoa powder, your cake will not be as dark. You can supplement the color with 1 teaspoon of super black food coloring.
- If you want to make your buttercream black, start with a chocolate frosting first, then add in your black food coloring to make it black. It will darken over time.
- The cake uses 6 ounces of butter. An older version of this recipe said 16 ounces, which was a typo.
- Melted chocolate: I use semi-sweet, but any real chocolate works. Don't use chocolate bark.
- You can swap the hot coffee for hot water.
- Pan sizes: for three 9-inch pans, increase the recipe by half. For a quarter sheet cake, make a double batch and a half.
- For cupcakes, use my chocolate cupcake recipe instead.
- Storage: keep the frosted cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to a week. Bring it to room temperature before serving. Wrapped, unfrosted layers can be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Nutrition is calculated for 1 of 24 servings, including the buttercream.
Jennifer says
Hi! I just got halfway through measuring out my ingredients, and 16oz of sugar seems like so much / just validating that's the right amount?! So sorry to bug, just fact checking before I proceed!! Thank you so very much!!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes it's correct
Meme says
I have been doing, this cake recipe for a quiet sometime, but the last time I made it turn out very dry, do you have any idea, what could be the issue?
The Sugar Geek Show says
You may have over-baked it or it was cold and it seemed dry because the butter im the cake was cold
RefIlwe Chilisa says
Metrics measurements please! I so want to try this ONE! Tia
Krys says
I cannot find Dutch process cocoa ANYWHERE within 40 miles. Is natural cocoa ok to substitute?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Hershey's make a special dark cocoa powder or you can buy it online.
Nicole says
When using this recipe for cupcakes, they never fluff/dome. The cupcakes always fall flat.
Do you recommend a certain oven temperature, omitting/adding ingredients?
Thank you so much in advance!
Nicole says
Do you recommend using this recipe for cupcakes?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes it can be used for cupcakes
Nicole says
When using this recipe for cupcakes, they never fluff/dome. The cupcakes always fall flat.
Do you recommend a certain oven temperature, omitting/adding ingredients?
Thank you so much in advance!
Nicole says
This recipe used to say 16 ounces of butter. I’m guessing the 6 ounces it’s now at is the correct amount?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes that was a typo
Nicole says
Well I’ve made this recipe countless times with 16 ounces ? of butter and it still turned out delicious. It’s even still carvable.
Whoops.
Anu arun says
Can u plz put these recipes in cup measurements.that would be very helpful for me to do.tks
The Sugar Geek Show says
All my recipes are by weight so that they turn out. Baking with cups is not accurate and could result in a baking fail and wasting of expensive ingredients.
Evelyn Keplinger says
What is the beautiful pink filling?
Nikki H says
This cake is amazing, it’s so moist & fudgey! I paired it with your vanilla buttercream for a party this weekend & omg amazing!! I can’t rate your recipes enough & look forward to trying the others ? thank you again Liz!!
Shabna Anwar says
Hi, lovely cake recipe. I have only one 6" pan, so I can I bake it at 3 internals. Hope it doesn't matter if the batter is outside until one pan is baked m then bake the second n third batter.
Lynne says
What do you recommend for a filling?
Simone dela Calzada says
When I made this cake the sides shrunk except the bottom of the cake. Do the sides came out not even. I greased l and flour the pan. What did I do wrong? It always with chocolate but not the vanilla. Still delish tho. Your reply is greatly appreciated.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Either over-baking or over-mixing causes the sides of a cake to shrink.
Marian says
Do you use a simple syrup on your cakes or would you just use the simple syrup as as a spritze to adhere fondant to cakes? I'm a newby, learning so much..
Thanks you guys
The Sugar Geek Show says
I don't use simple syrup for anything
Ashleigh B says
Omg this cake looks sooooo delicious! Could you please tell me how many ‘servings’ would be needed for a 1/4 sheet cake pan? Thank you! 🙂
The Sugar Geek Show says
I usually do a double batch and a half for a quarter sheet
Refilwe Chilisa says
I would love to try it out and I need metrics measurements for this please.. Tia xx
Michele says
1oz=28gr 🙂
Hani says
@tia hi, if you look under ingredients, just below vanilla, you can see metric. Touch it and all the US customary will change to metric.