Black Velvet Cake
This soft and fluffy black velvet cake with its creamy, smooth frosting is absolutely irresistible. Naturally colored with the help of black food coloring, this black chocolate cake is a must-make.
Ingredients:
For the Black Velvet Cake:
355 g plain (all-purpose) flour (2 ¾ cups)
105 g black cocoa powder (1 cup / 3.7 oz)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
500 g white granulated sugar (2 1/2 cups / 1.1 lb)
1 teaspoon salt
113 g unsalted butter, melted (1/2 cup / 4 oz)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (125 ml)
1 ½ cups buttermilk, room temp (375 ml)
3 large eggs, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons white vinegar
For the Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
180 g egg whites (roughly 6 eggs)
336 g caster (superfine) sugar (1 ⅔ cups)
340 g unsalted butter, cool but slightly softened (3 sticks / 1 ½ cups)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
For the Black Velvet Cake:
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / 160°C fan forced. Grease 3 round 8-inch cake pans and dust with cocoa, tapping out the excess.
In a very large bowl, sift the flour, black cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder together. Add the sugar and salt, then gently whisk it all together with a balloon whisk.
In a medium bowl, add the melted butter, vegetable oil, and buttermilk. Whisk to combine.
Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and vinegar to the medium bowl and whisk just until combined.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to gently fold and stir together just until smooth, ensuring all the flour is combined.
Evenly divide the batter between the three prepared pans. Level out the top.
Bake for 22-24 minutes, turning the trays at about the 15-minute mark, until a toothpick comes out just clean.
For the Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
Rub vinegar around the inside of your mixing bowl, rinse out, and dry.
Heat about 1 inch of water in a medium saucepan until simmering.
Add the egg whites and sugar to the mixing bowl. Whisk together with a balloon whisk until combined.
Place the bowl over the simmering water and continue to gently whisk and stir for around 5 minutes, until the mixture reaches 71°C / 160°F. Rub a little of the mixture between your fingers to ensure there are no sugar granules left. If there are still granules, remove from heat and keep stirring until they’re gone.
While still hot, place the bowl in your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high speed to stiff peaks, making sure the bowl and meringue have cooled to at least room temperature. If not, set it aside until it does.
Swap to the paddle attachment, then add the butter about 1 tablespoon at a time and beat at medium-high speed until it’s mixed in before adding the next tablespoon. Continue like this until all the butter is combined.
The buttercream should be thick, smooth, and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and salt, then mix for a good 20 seconds to ensure it’s all combined.
Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag, if using.
Place one of the cake layers onto a cake plate and pipe or spread 1/3 of the frosting over it. Repeat with the second and third layers, only placing them on top of the previous layer once piped. This will stop the buttercream from squishing out the sides.
Use a very sharp knife for cutting. Being a 3-tiered cake, you may find it easier to chill the cake so that it’s firm before cutting.
Black Velvet Cake
