How to make extra black buttercream for your Halloween cake?

Use dark cocoa powder

It can be extremely difficult to turn white buttercream black if you do not use the right ingredients. The best way to get a really black buttercream is to start with an already dark foundation and this is where dark cocoa comes into play.

Black cocoa is substantially less acidic than natural baking cocoa and has a pH that is somewhat higher (8 vs. 7) than Dutch-processed cocoa (5-6).

This gives it a taste similar to an Oreo cookie: bittersweet and chocolaty. It is utterly delicious.

By incorporating dark cocoa powder into your buttercream, you give it a delicious taste but also create a great colour base that will help you reach the depth of black you are looking for.

Use good quality gel food colouring

Food colouring is the next necessary evil if you're looking for extremely vivid or deep tones, like black. But I'm not referring to common, liquid, grocery store black food colouring. You need to get good quality gel food colouring. Indeed, if you use too much liquid food colouring, your frosting's consistency may change. Since gel food colouring is more concentrated than liquid food colouring, you can use less of it to achieve the desired dark colour.

Make sure to stir everything well

To obtain the smoothest and richest colour possible, it is very important to stir your buttercream well when making it and before using it. A first good stir will allow the colouring to spread evenly while the second stir will get rid of air bubbles and assure that you haven’t missed any drops of colouring on your first mix.

Prepare your buttercream in advance

Preparing the frosting beforehand is our last tip to help you make the best black buttercream ever. Time can, in fact, make a big difference. Indeed your buttercream’s colour will darken over time if you prepare it a few days or more ahead of time. It’s almost black magic! Most of the time buttercream can be prepared up to a week in advance (if well stored).

Hopefully, this article will help you in your quest for the best black buttercream ever. However, if all of this seems a little overwhelming to you, we offer a solution! Shop our scrumptious Halloween collection on our website. We offer treats for everyone, including ghosts, pumpkins, bats, and more! Your Halloween wishes can come true thanks to Cakes & Bakes. Happy Halloween!