These Black Velvet Cupcakes are a fun spin on the classic red velvet flavor! They are moist, made in one bowl with a whisk, topped with the silkiest and smoothest black cocoa buttercream frosting, and do not require dye!
I'm a big cupcake fan and have so many fun ideas in my cupcake section. These Nutella Cupcakes are a classic and pay homage to the easy spread while this Red Velvet Cupcake recipe is one of the most popular on my blog. If you're a chocolate lover, I'm begging you to check out these Triple Chocolate Cupcakes.
Into other spooky and festive treats? Use Halloween sprinkles in these Funfetti Cookie Bars, these Sprinkle Whoopie Pies, or in these Sugar Cookie Sandwiches.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- moist and soft texture due to oil
- simple and quick to make in under 30 minutes
- naturally-colored cupcakes and frosting, meaning no dye required for dark black color
- easy to decorate for Halloween festivities with sprinkles or candies of your choice
Moist Cupcake Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil: Vegetable oil creates a moist cupcake that stays moist! You can substitute it with any unflavored oil.
- Light Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: Together, both of these sugars contribute to sweetness and moisture.
- Eggs: 2 large eggs at room temperature give the cupcakes structure.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream or greek yogurt create a light and fluffy texture.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk creates a tender crumb and slightly tangy taste.
- White Vinegar: White vinegar interacts with the leavening agents to create a fluffier texture and hint of tang. It's an important ingredient in any "velvet" recipe!
- All Purpose Flour: Simple, plain all purpose flour that is measured properly creates moist cupcakes.
- Black Cocoa Powder: Black cocoa powder is a really dark dutch-processed cocoa powder that is deep that it creates a black coloring in the cupcakes and frosting. I use this black cocoa powder.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Both leavening agents work together to create a gorgeous dome and light texture.
- Salt: Salt brings out sweetness and enhances flavor
Step by Step Process
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, line your 12-count muffin tray with liners.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, room temperature eggs, vanilla extract, room temperature sour cream, room temperature buttermilk, and white vinegar together. Whisk until smooth.
STEP 3: Add your properly measured all purpose flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl. Mix with a whisk only until you see the dry flour pieces disappear.
STEP 4: Then, transfer your batter to the 12 liners, adding about ¼-1/3 cup of batter to each cavity. The cupcakes should be ¾ full.
STEP 5: Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes look slightly shiny, the centers look set, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with moist crumbs. Allow the cupcakes to cool before decorating.
STEP 1: Prepare the black velvet buttercream by mixing butter, powdered sugar, and black cocoa powder on low speed in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
STEP 2: Next, add milk to the frosting before mixing on high speed for 3 minutes to create a creamy chocolate frosting. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag or zippable plastic bag with the corner snipped off for greater control.
Frequently Asked Questions
Black velvet is a twist on a red velvet cupcake and uses the classic ingredients found in velvet cakes- buttermilk, vinegar, and cocoa powder. You'll use black cocoa powder in this recipe for the deep, black coloring!
Black cocoa powder creates a deep, dark flavor and color in this recipe. I use this brand on Amazon since black cocoa powder isn't usually found in the grocery store. If you can't find it, you can use a dutch-processed cocoa powder and black food dye if you'd still like the black coloring.
To make moist cupcakes, measure flour using a kitchen scale or by spooning flour into your measuring cups before sweeping a knife across the top to level it. Make sure not to overmix when adding the dry ingredients into the wet, and only bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs since overbaking leads to dry cupcakes.
Storing and Serving
These cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container or tightly covered
- at room temperature for up to 4 days
- in the freezer for up to 4 months
I don't recommend putting them in the fridge since they will likely dry out.
If you are baking these ahead and freezing, you'll want to place them uncovered in the freezer for 20 minutes for a flash freeze, wrap them individually in cling wrap, and store for up to 4 months in a freezer bag or container. Leave them at room temperature thaw.
Expert Tips
Homemade Buttermilk: Using regular milk as opposed to buttermilk could result in denser, flatter cupcakes. To make buttermilk from home-
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons (½ tablespoon) of white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup
- Then, pour room temperature dairy milk into the container to reach the ½ cup mark
- Finally, mix the milk and lemon juice or vinegar together before letting it sit for 5 minutes
Measuring Flour: To avoid dry and dense cupcakes, measure flour with a kitchen scale to 105g exactly or use a spoon to transfer flour from your container to your measuring cups before using a knife to level.
Room Temperature Ingredients: Room temperature ingredients will allow the cupcake batter to come together more smoothly and result in more even cupcakes. If you forget to leave them out ahead of time, you can-
- leave eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes
- heat sour cream in the microwave for 10 seconds
- heat buttermilk in the microwave for 10 seconds
Related Recipes
Print
Black Velvet Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Cupcakes, Black Velvet, Chocolate, Halloween
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Black Velvet Cupcakes are a fun spin on the classic red velvet flavor! They are moist, made in one bowl with a whisk, topped with the silkiest and smoothest black cocoa buttercream frosting, and do not require dye!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- ¼ cup (50g) vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup (160g) light brown sugar
- ⅓ (70g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (100g), room temperature
- ⅓ cup (85g) sour cream or greek yogurt, room temperature
- ½ cup (120g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ¾ cup (105g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (40g) black cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Frosting
- 1 ½ cup (325g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup (54g) black cocoa powder
- 3 cups (360g) powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (60g) milk, room temperature
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12 count muffin tin with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk granulated sugar, vegetable oil, room temperature eggs, vanilla extract, room temperature sour cream, room temperature buttermilk, and white vinegar together with a whisk until smooth.
- Pour properly-measured flour, black cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl and whisk. Mix only until you see the dry ingredients disappear into the batter, as overmixing could lead to dense cupcakes.
- Divide the batter between the 12 muffin liners, adding about ¼-1/3 cup of batter to each liner. The liners should be about ¾ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes look slightly shiny, the centers look set, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out with moist crumbs. Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before decorating.
For the Frosting and Decorating
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat room temperature butter until smooth. This should be about 2 minutes of mixing.
- Slowly, add powdered sugar and cocoa powder into the butter. Beat on low speed, adding the powdered sugar and cocoa powder in small increments to avoid spilling.
- Pour milk into the frosting and beat on high speed for at least 3 minutes. This creates a light, velvety frosting. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure the frosting is even throughout.
- If desired, transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your desired tip or a zippable plastic bag with the corner snipped off for greater control when frosting.
- Decorate cupcakes with frosting as desired and top with sprinkles or other festive candies.
Notes
Homemade Buttermilk: Regular milk will not substitute buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, fill a measuring cup with ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or distilled vinegar. Next, add room temperature milk to reach the ½ cup (120g) mark. Stir the two together before letting it sit for 5-10 minutes before using.
Measuring Flour: To avoid dry and dense cupcakes, measure flour with a kitchen scale to 105g exactly or use a spoon to transfer flour from your container to your measuring cups before using a knife to level.
Keywords: Black Velvet Cupcakes, Black Velvet, Halloween Cupcakes
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