Description
Bake rich, dark Black Velvet Cupcakes for Halloween! Nina Bakes shares her spooky, easy recipe with cream cheese frosting and personal kitchen tales.
Ingredients
Scale
- Cupcake Essentials:
- 1 ½ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- Velvet Color & Flavor:
- ½ cup (45g) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon black gel food coloring
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spooky Decorations:
- Halloween sprinkles (optional)
- Edible glitter (optional)
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients for Black Velvet Cupcakes:: First things first, grab a big bowl and whisk together your flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. I always give it a good, thorough whisk to make sure everything is evenly distributed. There’s nothing worse than biting into a clump of unmixed baking soda, believe me, I’ve been there. You want this mixture light and airy, almost like a dark cloud before a storm. Set it aside for a moment, we’ll come back to it soon.
- Prepare Wet Ingredients for Black Velvet Cupcakes:: In another bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until it’s light and fluffy. This step is crucial for that tender crumb! Then, beat in your eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Now, for the magic: add a generous amount of black gel food coloring and the vanilla extract. Mix until it’s a really deep, dark black. I always get a little thrill seeing that color develop, it’s just so dramatic!
- Combine and Add Buttermilk:: Now we’re going to bring it all together. Gradually add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk. Start and end with the dry. Mix on low speed, just until everything is combined. Seriously, don’t overmix! Overmixing is the enemy of tender cupcakes; it makes them tough, and we want these Black Velvet Cupcakes to be soft and fluffy. A few lumps are totally fine, honestly.
- Bake Your Spooky Black Velvet Cupcakes:: Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill each liner about two-thirds full with your gorgeous black batter. Pop them into a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) and bake for about 18-22 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. My kitchen always smells incredible at this point, like a warm, chocolatey hug. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whip Up the Cream Cheese Frosting:: While your Black Velvet Cupcakes are cooling, let’s make that dreamy cream cheese frosting. In a stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Make sure there are no lumps! Then, gradually add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, mixing on low until combined, then increasing speed to medium-high until it’s light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract. If it’s too thick, a tiny splash of milk helps; too thin, a bit more powdered sugar. It’s all about feel sometimes, you know?
- Decorate Your Black Velvet Cupcakes:: Once the Black Velvet Cupcakes are completely cool (this is important, warm cupcakes will melt your frosting!), pipe or spread the cream cheese frosting generously on top. This is where you can get creative! I love adding a little sprinkle of black or silver edible glitter, or even some spooky sprinkles for that extra Halloween flair. Step back and admire your handiwork; they look so striking and taste even better!