Yes. These sweet little cupcakes look like my Blackout Chocolate Cake and Buttercream… They are like doppelgängers, but good, not evil. Ok, maybe they are evil in what they could do to the waistline if you eat too many which is completely a concern with how rich, tender, sweet and amazing these black chocolate cuppies are. So I take it all back. They ARE doppelgängers.
I digress. I have a confession about me and cupcakes. We hate each other (until recently) and we typically don’t get along once the oven gets involved. My batters are always delicious and looking as a batter should. I know my methods and techniques and formulations. But I have rarely found a recipe that I like after it comes out of the oven. Too dry. Too dense. Too flavorless. Too crumbly. Too spongy.
I’m picky. I look for perfection in all things cake and it’s hard to satisfy me. But it always ends in great recipes, so I take the struggle and frustration with my cupcake recipes in stride. Something wonderful will come from it all.
I’ve tried my Blackout Chocolate Cake recipe as cupcakes and just like my Perfect Vanilla Cake it just isn’t meant for small cupcakes. And that’s totally cool with me. I don’t believe in one size fits all because no matter what, you end up compromising somewhere. And because I’m a curvy gal who knows first hand that “One Size Fits NOT ME”. *sigh*
Nothing is truly perfect all around for everything you need - and different recipes for different needs is the best way to go so you always end up with exactly what you want and need for your cake project. A cupcake consistency should not be what you’re carving for a gravity defying cake. Likewise, a dense pound-cake style layer cake should not be a cupcake (unless it’s a wedding cuppie meant to go with a wedding cake… Then I’m good with a denser cuppie.)
So let’s talk about these deep, dark, sultry, sexy cupcakes and frosting. First, let me say that this is a frosting, not a buttercream. What is the difference? Well, it depends on who you ask. And since you’re here, I will make the bold assumption that it’s my opinion that you may be looking for �?�
In Kara’s cake world:
- Buttercream: usually a a fussier coating for a cake featuring meringue (made with egg whites and granulated sugar), or foamed egg whites. Very stable at room temperature, soft and silky, and loaded with butter. Perfect for wedding cakes.
- Frosting: made typically of a fat (butter or shortening, possibly vegetable oil) and mixed with confectioner’s sugar, then thinned to piping or spreading consistency with milk or cream. Often crusts over, but is much stiffer generally, but not as stable or as good for layered cakes. Perfect for cupcakes, though, and home-style cakes.
- Icing (because it’s another tossed around term in this realm): confectioner’s sugar and a liquid of some sort with a flavoring agent. Interchangeable as a glaze, though typically a bit thicker. Think cinnamon buns and bundt cakes.
Ok. Now that THAT’S out of the way….
This one is frosting, not buttercream. I don’t like buttercream on cupcakes, I want something thicker and richer and more sinful since the cupcake is such a small and controlled portion. �?�
This one is based on Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa recipes (cupcakes, too) but I handle to recipes slightly differently and I alter the ingredients a bit. It does change the outcome and as much as I like the standard recipes, this makes them that much more awesome!
Can we take a second to admire those awesome liners and that GLORIOUS round dome on these cuppies? Come on. That’s sexy right there!
I had to glam them up a bit as well, 4mm pure black sugar pearl dragees and those fancy schmancy wavey cupcake liners.
Sorry. I couldn’t resist sharing those pics! I took way too many, so much so that I nearly forgot to tell you how I altered these recipes! (focus, Kara, focus!)
For the Blackout Cake, I wanted a slightly denser cake. Not much. But just a bit. And I wanted an even deeper flavor. So rather than just the milk in the recipe, I used homemade, full fat buttermilk. It’s simple - just squeeze half of a lime (or lemon or white vinegar) into a one cup measure and then fill the rest of the one cup with whole milk (4% milkfat). Give it a quick whisk and let it set for 5 minutes.
Because I know it will be asked, the answer is “Yes.” You could use fat free, store-bought buttermilk but this recipe wouldn’t turn out the same. The fat content from the milk is important to the formula, but the acid action that comes from buttermilk (or in this case the lime juice) helps to create a denser cake structure.
For a deeper and more complex flavor (yeah, I’m gettin’ all kinds of foodie up in here!) instead of just hot water added at the end, I brewed a nice dark French Roast coffee and used a cup of that just off the hot plate. It’s gotta be hot. Like boiling hot. That’s why the recipe calls for boiling water. So - hot coffee. If you’re a Keurig user instead of a “I drink coffee by the gallon each morning” kind of fiend like me, you can get instant espresso powder and dissolve that into the 8 ounces of boiling water. No need to run out and buy a coffee brewer.
And lastly, just to be sure this cuppie is as black as I could get it, I added my new FAVORITE black food color (that is totally tasteless, by the way, and that is strong enough you don’t need to use tons of it…) from Amoretti. I’ve used and loved Amoretti products since pastry school and their quality is top of the line. There is nothing they make that I haven’t loved and I was THRILLED to get connected with them to work with some of their products! The full line of their products is scheduled to be available on Amazon later this year! Watch my blog and I’ll keep you posted �?�
*I didn’t even make it through writing this blog post before eating one… Ok. I didn’t make it through the photos BEFORE writing the blog post… OKAY! FINE! Maybe I ate two.*
Also, even though I DO love the original Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, I would suggest getting your hands on some cocoa noir - black cocoa. It’s even darker and richer than Hershey’s and it will give you and even darker black chocolate cake. Another question to be answered before it’s asked: “No.” Natural, unsweetened cocoa will not work in this recipe. You’ll be utterly disappointed and I will get to wag my finger saying “I told you so!” And I actually do not like doing that. So just trust me. Dark, dutched black cocoa noir.
Now, for my mild, though very necessary, alteration to the frosting… Are you ready? CREAM!!! Do not use milk. In comparison to cream, milk is kinda like water. Should we thin our frosting with water? Or with thick, rich, glorious cream?
Cream. And I use a bit more than what is called for in the original recipe. So I’ve changed it below so you can just click print and go 🙂
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 24 cupcakes | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 25 minutes |
|
|
|
|
Deep, dark chocolate cupcakes. A different take on the classic Hershey's Special Dark recipes, with a couple twists that will please the chocolate lovers on your guest list!
|
- 2 cups sugar
- 1.75 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- .5 lime fresh squeezed
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
- 1.5 teaspoons Baking powder
- .5 cup Vegetable oil
- .75 cup Cocoa Noir powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup coffee hot, fresh brewed
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or line 28 to 30 muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.
- Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
- Combine milk and lime juice in a bowl and allow to sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Then add eggs and vanilla and whisk together.
- Add milk mixture and oil to the dry mix in the mixer and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Sowly pour the coffee down the side of the bowl with the mixer set to it's lowest setting. The batter will be thin. Pour batter into prepared cups. 2/3 full for large liners or cups, 1/2 full for all other cup or liner sizes.
- Bake 22 to 25 minutes for cupcakes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
For large, straight sided cups, fill 2/3 up and bake for 26 minutes. Makes 15.
For standard cupcake liners, fill 1/2 up and bake for 22 minutes. Makes 24.
For small, fancy fluted liners like in the images above, fill 2/3 up and bake for 22 minutes. Makes 33-36.
Top with my Blackout Chocolate Frosting Recipe!
- 1/2 cup Butter melted
- 2/3 cup cocoa noir
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar
- almost 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 teaspoon Amoretti Vanilla Extract
- 3 teaspoons Amoretti Black Food Color (optional, but MAN does it do the trick and without any taste!)
- Melt butter and stir in the cocoa with the paddle attachment on a stand mixer.
- Add powdered sugar and mix on low speed.
- Start with 1/3 cup heavy cream and add it to the mixer. Increase the mixer speed to medium. Add 2-4 tablespoons more heavy cream till you reach your desired consistency.
- Add vanilla extract and black food color and turn the mixer to medium high and beat for 90 seconds.
- Try not to eat it all. �?�
I used Amoretti Vanilla Extract and black food color in this frosting. The vanilla is top notch and the black food coloring adds the extra depth that we want from black frosting. The cocoa noir just about gets you there, but this black food coloring does the trick. And it has ZERO aftertaste!
Enjoy!
Looking forward to trying this reciepe, Thank you.
I am loving this recipe and how those cuppies look! Thanks so much for sharing. I have two questions:
1.) I’ve used Americolor gel black and it’s been okay when starting with a chocolate frosting but I’ve still needed to use a lot. Do you think it will cause a texture or flavor issue with this frosting?
2.) Would you happen to have this recipe by weight? I’m kind of lazy like that �?�
And, just to be a “fan-girl”, I absolutely adore you and all that you do!
Americolor, I can’t say. I haven’t used that one with this recipe. I would say start slow, and be sure to use the cocoa noir as it will require less of the coloring than the Hershey’s will. And I don’t have it in weight measures yet �?� But it’s on my to-do list! (And thank you fo rthe kind words 🙂 They keep me chugging along!)
I LOVE YOUR BLOG. I JUST LOVE YOU. I WAS LAUGHING. WE ALL NEED A GOOD LAUGH. ITS GOOD FOR US. PLUS. IM GONNA,MAKE THOSE ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS CUPCAKES ALTJOUGH6 I MAY HAVE MISSED UT I DONT RECALL UOU MENTIONING THE NAME OF THOSE LINERS OR WHERE YOU GOT THEM DID YOU MAKE THEM?
Hi Cindy! Good catch and question. I got mine at Michaels, but if you don’t have one near and are an Amazon junkie like me: wave liners
Hi Kara, loving the look of these cuppies! I was wondering it seems like you said you added the black coloring to the cupcake as well as the frosting? If so how much did you use in the cake part? Thank you!
PS: I bought the wavy liners at Joannes they have the black sugar balls too!
Yes! Good catch, I have to go edit the recipe 🙂 I used 1 tsp in the cuppie batter added just before the hot water/coffee.
I didn’t think it was possible for cupcakes to be sexy, but these totally are?? They look like the sleek starship a really aesthetically-conscious sci-fi villain would use to escape the scene. I will definitely have to make these at some point, as these look both beautiful and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
OMG I love your brain! That was an awesome way to see them 🙂 I form stories around things like this all the time!
Hi! I just found this blog via a pin on this recipe. How do you think coconut oil would instead of vegetable oil? Thanks! I can’t wait to try this!
Hi Linda! Yes you can. There are some things you need to keep in mind, though. Coconut oil is solid up to 75°F. So you’ll need to warm it to make it liquid for the recipe But that also means the rest of your ingredients need to be room temp or slightly warmer. Warm-ish eggs. Granted, the hot water at the end will melt everything, but general good substituting advice for coconut oil lovers 🙂
I love coffee and chocolate but not in cakes. Even a hint of coffee turns me off. I so wanted to try this recipe but now I hesitate to. Can I omit the coffee and use water or milk?
Hi Marilee! Yes! Just use water 🙂 No coffee infusion needed. I only use coffee once in a while, my hubby isn’t a fan.
I would love to try these but the black dye and gell you use does it have red dye ? All halloween colors I’ve found including black have red dye in them and my daughter is allergic to red dye. If so do you have any suggestions for getting this color with out the black dye ? Thank you
Hi Jennifer! The Amoretti does have Red #40 in it. Americolor and Wilton do as well. I’m not sure what other brands contain, unfortunately. All I can advise is just go heavy on the black cocoa powder… You’d be surprised how dark it gets on it’s own! And let it rest just a bit before using. That way the cocoa has had a chance to move through all the ingredients.
Denise says
Hi!
I currently have King Arthur Black Cocoa. Is this the same as your Cocoa Noir you have in your link (from WinCrest) ? I don’t want to ruin the batch so before i make these so I wanted to know if i needed to purchase the Cocoa-specific to your recipe.
It should yield the same results. I LOVE King Arthur products and I would substitute this any day!
These cupcakes are awesome and prefect for Halloween. One question does the Amoretti dye give you black teeth or stain your lips after eating it?
Nope 🙂 I ate two and smiled right away for the camera. One crumb in my teeth, but no black mouth!
Hi Kara, I found your blog via a beautiful pin I saw and couldn’t pass by. I can’t wait to make these dot my daughter she had a birthday coming up and I think she would love these they are so cute and ultra cool. I make and decorate all five of my kids cakes every year and I also make all the desserts for my brother’s catering business. I’ve been on the fence about getting formal training or just doing it hobby style with YouTube and other social media sites. Your site has helped push me to go ahead and go to pastry school, I am so inspired by your work and I feel like I can relate to you in such the perfectionist some sometimes and amazingly only when it comes to baking! Anyway thank you for such a great blog spot and the inspiration. You over sparked my inner fire again for all things sweet and delicious.
That is an awesome thing to hear, Jae!!! I know you’ll love pastry school! It was a turning point for me and ignited my love for baking even more. I’m glad my blog helped you find your way back to your love of sweet things 🙂
I noticed there are different versions of amoretti black food coloring. Which exactly did you use? Thanks sure miss you on scope!
hi Jaqcue! I’m over on Facebook Live now. Bigger audience, fewer creepers (if you know what I mean… �?� ). Mine is teh WS (Water soluable) version.
Hi. First tks for sharing. Your blog rock too much.
Second. Where did you buy the capsules. They are awsome. TIA
I got those at Michael’s craft store. But you can find them on Amazon as well! See them here: http://amzn.to/2eWF3pQ
I do a lot of baking and bring all my creations in to work for my coworkers to enjoy, mostly to save myself from eating them all. I work in a bar/restaurant, so should I be concerned about them eating one of these, then returning to a customer with a black tinted tooth smile? Thanks!
Nope 🙂 I ate two in a row and then smiled for a camera just to see. With exception to a crumb, my mouth was totally acceptable.
Hi Kara,
I’ve used the original recipe for years as “cake”….these are cupcakes… so how would it do as a regular “cake”?
It would be AWESOME! Do let me know if you try it 🙂
I made these cupcakes and they taste great and I love the color. However mine over flowed and the tops were flat. Any ideas on what went wrong? I only used boiling water not coffee and not sure if my milk/lime set up properly. Do I need to use less batter, leave it thicker?
Also they did not come out of the liners very good. Should I spray them?
Thanks for your help!
Ps I took a picture, but not sure how to put it on.
Hi Colette! The key to everything you said here is that they overflowed. They were just filled too much. 🙂 All of the other issues come from that. And don’t spray the liners. Try baking again and just filling a bit less. And if you want to share the picture with me you can email [email protected]
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
I always use unsalted for baking. It’s standard so that it’s easier to control the absolute amount of salt in your recipe.
Reagen Anderes says
Hi there -
Instead of making the Buttermilk, would store bought work as well?
So long as it’s full fat buttermilk, yes. I only have fat free buttermilk at my local grocery store, so I make my own.
I’ve made these twice in the past 2 weeks and I LOVE THEM. Of course, I use what I have on hand in terms of cocoa powder (dark), and they end up not quite as dark as these. I also use full fat, organic milk and butter because I read somewhere that’s better for your teeth. (And personally, they taste better to me.)
But my favorite thing about them is that they stay moist for forever, which makes them perfect for baking a few days in advance of a party. They still tasted fresh and moist after 4 days! I can’t attest to any time after that, though, since they were gone by the fifth day. 🙂
They lasted 4 days?!? I would need lock and key! lol
I have never had blackout cake so just wondering about the lime juice. Does it add a lime flavor or serve a different purpose? I’m not a lime fan so didn’t know if it’s mandatory or could be left out.
You won’t taste lime at all. The explanation for why I use it is just above where the bold text “full fat buttermilk” is. That will explain it 🙂
Hi Kara - The batch I made definitely didn’t rise like yours. I tried filling the cups different amounts to see if that made a difference but they all ended up with flat tops and they all really stuck to the liners. I am looking through the recipe to see if I did something wrong and the only thing I can think of is the black cocoa. I used The Cocoa Trader’s Pure Black Cocoa powder, all natural Dutch Processed - was that not the right powder? Any other ideas why this might have happened? Thank you!
There are a number of reasons it could have happened: your chemical leavener is getting old and not working well/at all; temperature isn’t accurate within the oven versus what you set it to; I don’t think it could be the cocoa unless it’s processed with other ingredients for some reason; or there is a mistake in ingredient amount. My first instinct is to replace your baking powder and baking soda with fresh containers, though.
How to substitute coconut oil for this recipe to make it vegetarian.
Hi Nandi! I can’t advise on using coconut. I’ve never done it. Coconut oil has a much lower melting point than butter or shortening so that needs to be taken into account. If you know of a hydrogenated coconut oil, that would be you best bet, though it would still need refrigeration.
I am absolutely enamored with your site. I love everything about it and can’t stop watching videos and reading your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us!
Thank you, Shirley! 🙂 I’m glad to have you here!
Nina DurMont says
What tip can I use to frost these cupcakes?
I used a 1M.
I can’t wait to give this recipe a try tonight - I’m making them for my Aunt’s 70th Birthday. I’m reading the recipe for the Blackout Frosting - and I have never made one like this, where you melt the butter? - how does the frosting form with everything in liquid form?
You have lots of confectioners’ sugar and cocoa noir. They are very drying. Trust me �?� This is the most beautiful and decadent blackout frosting ever!
Can you use a different food coloring gel??
Different black color brand? Sure. Different color? Not with the cocoa powder.
Please Kara how do I substitute for heavy cream. Thanks for sharing your ideas & recipes.
Honestly, you don’t. That changes the fat content of the formula too drastically. You’ll end up with a very different product. Just use milk.
where do you purchase the coco and the flavoring???
Hi Carla, you get the Hershey’s special Dark here: http://amzn.to/2sUj5qs and the cocoa noir here: http://amzn.to/2sTTUEv
With the Amoretti black coloring, do you get a staining effect in the mouth from the frosting?
Nope! Not with these. In fact, I ate two as I was shooting them (I couldn’t help it) and went to the bathroom quickly to check my mouth and I was camera ready! Minus the frosting glob on my cheek. I’m a messy eater. �?�