Reader review. "Made many cupcakes and a beautiful four tiered cake out of this recipe. For the cake I used an Oreo buttercream and raspberry jam between the layers, and the black velvet buttercream on the outside it was an absolute hit with everyone, and I don't really consider myself a baker so clearly the recipe is a good one and easy to follow!" (G) ★★★★★
These vegan black velvet cupcakes are rich in colour, wonderfully light and silk-smooth, with a delicate flavour reminiscent of Oreo cookies. Made with black cocoa powder, they get their naturally deep colour without adding food colouring into the batter.
They're surprising simple to make, and just a little bit spooky. Perfect for Halloween, a gothic-inspired party or an event that calls for a seriously good chocolate cupcake.
If you love my black candy apples, you're going to love these.
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Why You'll Love These Black Cupcakes
What You'll Need
Flour. I use regular old all-purpose flour. You could swap to cake flour for a lighter cake but honestly, I wouldn't bother. These cakes are super light with a beautiful crumb.
Buttermilk (soy milk + apple cider vinegar). Buttermilk helps create a light and tender crumb in cakes. We are making our own vegan buttermilk by combining soy milk with apple cider vinegar. I find soy milk works best to mimic traditional buttermilk. The apple cider vinegar also works to activate our baking soda.
Black Cocoa. Most of the ingredients for these black velvet cupcakes you'll have in your pantry or fridge. To make these cakes gloriously black, you're gonna need black cocoa. I get mine here in Australia at Cakers Warehouse (not sponsored) but I've also seen it on Amazon. You'll find it at most specialty cake suppliers.
Coconut yoghurt. Using yoghurt or sour cream in cakes adds moisture without making the batter more liquid. You can use any plain vegan yoghurt here.
Sugar. I use raw caster sugar for pretty much all my cooking. Regular caster sugar works or you can use a finer granulated sugar.
Oil. Any neutral flavoured oil will do here although I tend to use sunflower oil most often. Oil adds moisture and fat but also helps to keep cakes moist for longer than butter based cakes.
Baking powder & soda. While both of these are leavening agents, baking powder gives us height while soda gives more horizontal air. Does that may sense? One goes up while the other goes out.
What is Black Cocoa?
Black cocoa powder is cocoa powder that has been heavily dutch processed or alkalised. It is smoother tasting than other cocoa-powders and has no colouring, making it an awesome natural black food colouring.
If you've had an Oreo, you know what black cocoa tastes like.
How to Make Black Velvet Cupcakes
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1.
Sift the flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda and powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Step 2.
In a separate bowl combine the milk and apple cider vinegar and leave for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the remaining wet ingredients and whisk in the wet mixture to the dry until combined. Don't over-mix, just whisk until most of the lumps are gone but a few is OK.
Steps 3 and 4.
Line a 12-pan muffin tray and fill each one two-thirds with the batter. Bake in a preheated oven (170° C or 338°F) for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through.
Step 5.
Remove from the oven to completely cool before frosting.
Step 5. Prepare buttercream and pipe onto cold cupcakes to serve.
Expert Tips
FAQs
Like the smoothest dark chocolate cake you've ever eaten. The chocolate flavour is quite subtle, so some people don't even pick it up straight away. They're smooth, delicate and a little like Oreo cookies. Honestly, they're so good.
Yes! Just freeze them without the buttercream. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then wrap them well in foil and transfer them to a sealed, freezer-safe container. They'll keep for up to three months. To thaw, leave them at room temperature for 2-3 hours, then top with buttercream to serve.
I haven't tested this with gluten-free flour, but have had success with Bob's Red Mill One-to-One Baking Flour with other cake recipes.
More Cupcakes!
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Make This Recipe
Black Velvet Cupcake Recipe
Equipment
- stand mixer or whisk for buttercream
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour 190g
- ⅓ cup black cocoa powder 60g
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup soy milk 180ml
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup raw caster sugar 210g, regular caster sugar also works.
- ⅓ cup sunflower oil 80ml
- ½ cup yoghurt 125g, vegan, plain and unsweetened
For the buttercream
- 1 cup vegan butter 250g
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar (icing) 450g, sifted
- ⅓ cup black cocoa 60g, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon dairy-free milk or more as needed
Instructions
For the cakes
- Preheat oven to 170°C or 338°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan.
- Sift the flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda and powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl combine the milk and apple cider vinegar and leave for 2-3 minutes to make buttermilk.
- Combine the remaining wet ingredients and the buttermilk and then add them to the dry, whisking until combined. Don't over-mix, just whisk until most of the lumps are gone and there are no streaks of dry flour.
- Fill each cake mould up two-thirds with the batter and transfer to the oven to bake for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through. Once done, remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
For the buttercream
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the vegan butter on low speed until creamy, about 30 seconds.
- Add one cup of sifted icing sugar and beat on low for 30 seconds. Add the sifted black cocoa and continue beating for another minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add another cup of icing sugar, followed by the vanilla and dairy-free milk. Beat until combined and smooth.
- Add the remaining icing sugar gradually, using only as much as needed to achieve a smooth, silky buttercream that holds its shape. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M tip for the pictured cakes.
Notes
Nutritional Disclaimer
The nutritional information is an estimate only and is automatically calculated using online tools. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Alexus says
This recipe is so good!! I made 40 total for my birthday party and everyone loved them. I used artificial sweetener in both the cake and the buttercream and they came out great. Thank you for this!
Amanda Logan says
Happy birthday, Alexus! And I am so pleased the cakes turned out well for you. I hope you had a great party and thank you for taking the time to write. I appreciate it. x
G says
Made many cupcakes and a beautiful four tiered cake out of this recipe. For the cake I used an oreo buttercream and raspberry jam between the layers, and the black velvet buttercream on the outside it was an absolute hit with everyone, and I don't really consider myself a baker so clearly the recipe is a good one and easy to follow!
Amanda says
Oh, that's amazing! I am so happy you enjoyed cakes - the tiered cake sounds AMAZING. Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
Tara says
I'm obsessed after pairing these cupcakes with ermine frosting Guests raved
Amanda says
Love! Ermine frosting would be perfect with these. x
Geerte says
Hi, I tried your black cupcake recipe today. But my buttercream isn’t black, but still brown. Did you use something else in your recipe, to get the black colour?
Amanda says
Hi Geerte, add a few drops of black colour to get the dark frosting. I mention it in the "tips" section of the post. The black cocoa will get you a dark grey frosting, but the colouring will get you to black. I will copy the tips into the recipe card now to make it easier to find. 🙂