I don't know about you, but I can't think of a better type of dessert for Halloween than one that's made wth black cocoa! Not only does it have a rich, chocolaty flavor, it also makes your baked goods have a super deep and spooky black color that is so perfect for the holiday!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR BLACK COCOA CAKE
Let's get baking! First, you'll need to gather all of the ingredients to make the two rich black cocoa cake layers. Here's what you'll need:
• All-purpose flour
• Black cocoa powder
• Baking powder + baking soda
• Salt
• Granulated sugar
• Vegetable oil
• Sour cream
• Eggs
• Strongly brewed coffee
• Milk
• Vanilla extract

To make this cake, you're going to add all of your dry ingredients to a large bowl. Start by sifting the flour and black cocoa powder. This will help make sure there are no clumps and your final cake batter is smooth. Then, add in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and granulated sugar. Whisk until everything is mixed together.
Next, combine the remaining cake ingredients in a separate bowl. This will include the vegetable oil, sour cream, eggs, coffee, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until everything is incorporated and it's smooth. Pour this mixture into the dry mix, and whisk just until everything is combined and the cake batter is smooth.



For this recipe, we're using 2-8" round pans. Grease each pan, dust them with flour, and line the bottom with a small circle of parchment paper, if desired. Pour the finished cake batter equally between the two prepared pans. Pop the pans into a preheated 350°F oven, and bake for 30-34 minutes. *You can check to make sure the cakes are baked through by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cakes are done baking. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove them from the pans and to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR BLACK COCOA BUTTERCREAM
And what's a cake without frosting? Once your cakes are completely cool, it's time for frosting. Here's everything to make you'll need to whip up this luscious black cocoa buttercream!
• Unsalted butter
• Black cocoa powder
• Powdered sugar
• Heavy cream
• Vanilla extract
• Salt

TIPS FOR THE BEST BLACK COCOA CAKE
♦ Sift the cocoa powder. Sometimes cocoa powder can be clumpy, and it can be hard to break up the clumps once it’s incorporated into a batter. The best thing you can do to avoid this is once you measure out your cocoa powder, use a fine metal sifter to sift it into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
♦ Don't skip the coffee. This cake recipe calls for coffee. I know you might be tempted to sub it out for water, but trust me... you shouldn't! While you won't actually taste any coffee, it helps enhance and bring out the chocolate flavor of the cake.
♦ Cool your cakes completely. This one is very important. If your cakes are even remotely still warm after being baked, the frosting will melt and you will be left with a big cake mess. Be sure to let your cakes cool completely before frosting them!
♦ Whip your buttercream. You want to make sure your buttercream is nice and fluffy before frosting your cake. Once everything is combined, remember to whip it for 1-2 minutes to get it nice and light!
♦ Make it spooky! While you can totally stop this recipe and just eat this cake once it's frosted, but if you're wanting to do a little something extra, make it spooky! You can add halloween sprinkles or any edible chocolate shapes you can find/make. I made little ghosts out of white chocolate and an edible marker.


Black Cocoa Cake
Ingredients
Black Cocoa Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup black cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ½ cup strongly brewed coffee, cooled to room temp.
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Black Cocoa Frosting
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
- ¾ cup black cocoa powder
- 3 ½-4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Making the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2- 8" round baking pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper, if desired. Set them aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and granulated sugar. Whisk everything together. Set the bowl aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, milk, coffee, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk just until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter equally into the 2 prepared round pans.
- Bake the cakes for 30-34 minutes.* Once out of the oven, allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
Making the Frosting
- Cream the softened butter for about a minute until light and fluffy. Add in the black cocoa powder, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt. Beat the frosting on a low speed until all of the cocoa powder and powdered sugar is incorporated. Then, beat on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.**
Assembling the Cake
- To assemble the cake, start by trimming the a thin layer of the tops of the cakes off to make them flat. Place one of the cake layers onto a cake stand or plate. Scoop about ¾ cup of frosting on top of the cake. Spread it into an even layer.
- Place a second cake onto the frosted layer, bottom side up. Use the remaining frosting to frost the outside of the cake. Use an offset spatula and carefully spread it in an even layer on the top and sides of the cake. If you have extra frosting, you can pipe it into little dollops around the top of the cake. Enjoy as is, or decorate with festive halloween sprinkles or candies.
Notes
- * Insert a toothpick into the baked cakes to make sure they are baked all the way through.
- **If you want your frosting thinner, add a tablespoon or two more of heavy cream. If you want it a little firmer, add up to ¼ cup more of powdered sugar.
Chef EC
Is this recipe supposed to have sour cream? It’s in the instructions but not in the ingredients list.
Chrissy
Hi there!
Thank you for catching this-- yes, this recipe does have sour cream. I have update the recipe to include it!