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A black cocoa chocolate cake that has been cut so you can see the cross section sitting on a plate.
5 from 2 votes
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Black Cocoa Chocolate Cake Recipe

This black cocoa cake covered in black cocoa chocolate buttercream is the perfect cake to make for Halloween. This cake has deep, rich Oreo-like chocolate flavor with a moist and velvety crumb.
Prep Time25 minutes
Bake Time44 minutes
Total Time1 hour 9 minutes
Recipe Author Lynn April
Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

BLACK COCOA CHOCOLATE CAKE

  • 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
  • 1 cup (240mL) milk1 room temperature; you can also use buttermilk (see notes)
  • 2 and ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
  • ¾ cup (96g) black cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
  • ⅔ cup (160mL) vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs room temperature and separated
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

BLACK COCOA CHOCOLATE FROSTING

  • 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar
  • ¾ cup (96g) black cocoa powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 2 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ⅓ to ½ cup (80-120mL) milk or cream

Instructions

BLACK COCOA CHOCOLATE CAKE

  • Move a rack in the oven to the middle position and preheat it to 350ºF (177ºC). Grease and flour (or use homemade cake release) two 8" round cake pans2 and set aside.
  • Add the vinegar to the milk, stir, and allow to curdle while you start on the cake batter.
    2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar, 1 cup (240mL) milk1
  • Whip the egg whites in a medium size bowl, either using a handheld mixer or a whisk, whisking vigorously by hand. Whip the egg whites until soft peaks3 form (see the photo in the post above if you're unsure what this looks like). This will take about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
    4 large eggs
  • In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda until combined. Set aside.
    2 and ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (96g) black cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy (approximately 2-3 minutes). Add the vegetable oil and beat again until completely incorporated. Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat again on medium speed until everything is combined.
    ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar, ⅔ cup (160mL) vegetable oil, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with half of the milk/buttermilk. Do not overmix batter, and stop after the last bit of dry ingredients is mostly incorporated. There may be some dry pockets remaining. This is ok.
  • Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter with a spatula by cutting your spatula down the middle of the batter, then gently scooping half of the batter over and on top of the other half of the batter. Turn the bowl ¼ of a turn and repeat until batter is silky and smooth. It will be slightly thick.
  • Divide batter evenly between the two (or three) prepared cake pans. Bake cakes for 40-44 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. If the cakes need a little longer, indicated by wet batter on the toothpick, bake for a minute longer and retesting, taking care not to overbake the cakes as they will dry out. You may need to bake an additional minute, test, and rebake and retest until it is properly finished. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool in the pans completely on a wire rack before removing and assembling.

BLACK COCOA CHOCOLATE FROSTING

  • Note: this recipe will give you just enough to frost an 8" cake with a few embellishments, just like my photos. If you want to be able to pipe more designs or like some more wiggle room with your frosting, I suggest 1.5x the frosting recipe.
  • In a medium size bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, black cocoa powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.
    4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, ¾ cup (96g) black cocoa powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth.  
    1 cup (227g) unsalted butter
  • Turn the mixer speed down to low and slowly add the powdered sugar/cocoa mixture. Add the vanilla extract and continue mixing until smooth. 
    2 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Slowly add the milk/cream until frosting is at desired consistency, then beat again on medium-high speed until everything is incorporated.
    ⅓ to ½ cup (80-120mL) milk or cream

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

  • For a 2 layer cake: place one layer, bottom side up, on a plate or cake stand. Using a spatula or knife, spread an even layer of frosting over the entire surface. Place the second layer on top, bottom side up, and press down on the top lightly. Spread the rest of the frosting on the cake, beginning with the top and working your way down the sides. Decorate as desired.
  • For a 4 layer cake: split each layer into two smaller layers using a cake leveler or serrated knife and repeat steps for 2 layer cake.
  • Cake stays fresh covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. Cake may be covered and refrigerated for up to 7 days.
  • Make ahead: prepare cakes and frosting up to 1 day in advance. Cover cakes tightly and keep at room temperature or in the refrigerator until ready to assemble. Refrigerate prepared frosting in an airtight container until ready to use. Unfrosted cake layers may be frozen, wrapped tightly, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before assembling. Frosted cake can be frozen, wrapped tightly, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

Notes

  1. Distilled white vinegar/milk: since there is no fat in black cocoa powder, I prefer to use whole milk + vinegar in this recipe. If you prefer to use buttermilk, omit the distilled vinegar and use 1 cup of room temperature buttermilk. It is ideal if you can find a higher fat buttermilk. 
  2. Cake pans: this recipe will fit also fit in three-8" cake pans (reduce bake time to 30-34 minutes), two-9" round cake pans (reduce bake time to 30-34 minutes) or three-6" round cake pans (reduce bake time to 20-24 minutes).  
  3. Egg whites: be sure you're only whipping to soft peaks. Anything more than this will create too much lift and your cake will rise too much and wrinkle on top after baking. 
Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 697kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 475mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 595IU | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2mg
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