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Black Cocoa Cake

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 34 minutes
Total Time 54 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 10 servings

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. 
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