Description
Whip up rich Black Velvet Cupcakes, a spooky Halloween dessert treat with dark cocoa and creamy frosting. Perfect for your next ghoulish gathering!
Ingredients
Scale
- Cupcake Base:
- 1 ½ cups (190g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ cups (300g) Granulated Sugar
- ¾ cup (65g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Dutch-processed is best)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¾ cup (180ml) Buttermilk
- ½ cup (120ml) Vegetable Oil
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1–2 tablespoons Black Food Coloring Gel (adjust for desired darkness)
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces (226g) Cream Cheese, full-fat, softened
- ½ cup (113g) Unsalted Butter, softened
- 3–4 cups (360-480g) Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 1–2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Optional Spooky Touches:
- Halloween sprinkles
- Edible glitter
- Candy eyeballs
- Small plastic spiders
Instructions
- Prep Your Space: First things first, get your oven preheating to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. I always forget this step and then scramble when the batter’s ready, so learn from my mistakes! Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature; it really does make a difference in the final texture of these Black Velvet Cupcakes. You’ll feel the butter yield under your finger, and the eggs won’t shock the other ingredients, leading to a smoother batter. It just sets everything up for success, honestly.
- Whisk the Dry Stuff: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Give it a good, thorough mix until there are no lumps and everything looks uniform. This step is surprisingly important; you want all those leavening agents and flavors evenly distributed so every Black Velvet Cupcake rises beautifully. I once rushed this, and some cupcakes were denser than others—oops! You’ll see the cocoa powder lightening the flour, creating a uniform, dusty brown mix.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined. This is where the magic starts to happen! Add your black food coloring gel here. Start with a generous amount, maybe a tablespoon or two, and whisk until the mixture is an intense, inky black. Don’t be shy; you want that dramatic Black Velvet Cupcakes color! I always smell the vanilla here, a sweet promise of what’s to come, even through the oil and buttermilk.
- Mix It Up: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using a whisk or spatula, mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix! Overmixing develops the gluten too much, resulting in tough Black Velvet Cupcakes, and we want them tender and moist. A few small lumps are totally fine; it’s better to under-mix than over-mix, trust me on this one. The batter will be a glorious deep black, looking almost like liquid midnight.
- Bake Those Beauties: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Pop the tin into your preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a Black Velvet Cupcake comes out with only a few moist crumbs. My oven runs a little hot, so I usually check at 18 minutes. The kitchen will start to smell amazing, a rich, dark chocolate aroma that’s just heavenly.
- Cool and Frost: Let the Black Velvet Cupcakes cool in the muffin tin for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This is crucial before frosting! If you try to frost warm cupcakes, the frosting will melt and slide right off—I’ve made that mistake too many times. While they cool, whip up your cream cheese frosting until it’s light and fluffy. Once the cupcakes are fully cool, pipe or spread the frosting on top. They’ll look so elegant and spooky, ready for their close-up!
- Make the Cream Cheese Frosting: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream, beating until the frosting is light, airy, and spreadable. If it’s too thick, add more cream a teaspoon at a time; too thin, add more powdered sugar. This frosting is the perfect creamy complement to the Black Velvet Cupcakes!