Black Cocoa Buttercream

Intensive Cake Unit
by Intensive Cake Unit
1 batch
10 min

What's the #1 issue with black frosting...? Completely aside from getting white buttercream to turn the deep black color that I want - I've had many people worry that it will stain their teeth!

As we head into spooky season and Halloween baking, I want to re-share a recipe / tip that I use in almost all my Halloween decorating - black cocoa frosting! Black cocoa powder doesn't use any additional dyes; it's simply cocoa powder that has been more heavily dutched/alkalinized. This keeps it from reacting with leavening agents in baked goods - and gives it a dark/black color that makes it perfect for getting black frosting that doesn't taste like food dye and won't stain your teeth!

I've added a bit of food dye to the recipe, but it is optional - if you'd prefer to leave the dye out you absolutely can! I do recommend making the frosting at least 24 hours in advance; letting it sit that long will deepen the black color.

One recipe makes enough to generously frost an 8-inch cake or 24 cupcakes!


One last note - many of my in-post links won’t copy into my foodtalk posts. If there’s a link referenced in the recipe you’d like to have, you can see the original post by clicking the ‘Want more details about this and other recipes? Check out more here!’ button toward the bottom of this page.

Recipe details
  • 1  batch
  • Prep time: 10 Minutes Cook time: 0 Minutes Total time: 10 min
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Ingredients

  • 8 oz (one package) cream cheese, softened
  • 16 Tablespoons (two sticks) butter, softened
  • 5 ½ -6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup black cocoa powder (Black Onyx on Amazon has been one of my favorite brands!)
  • 4-6 Tablespoons milk
  • 1 T vanilla extract
  • 1/4 t. salt (if using unsalted butter)
  • 3 large drops black gel food color (I use black pretty frequently, especially around Halloween, so I bought this large bottle from Americolor!)
Instructions

Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with cocoa powder and milk until frosting reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla, black gel color (if desired), and salt if needed and beat until well combined.
As mentioned above, letting the frosting sit for several hours or overnight will deepen the black color several shades!
Tips
  •  Make this recipe? Let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!
Intensive Cake Unit
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