Update 2022: After posting this recipe four years ago, I found that my one bowl chocolate cake recipe makes the best chocolate cupcakes! It’s what I prefer, and the crowds agree. So, this recipe has been updated with the new (and even easier to make!) recipe. 

Oh, chocolate. It’s made me weak in the knees since I was a kid sneaking it into the cart when my mom wasn’t looking. Some people prefer fruity desserts but I tend to lean toward the decadence of something chocolatey. If you’re in the same boat, then this recipe is for you: melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate buttercream that has been described by a friend as “the kind you need to put in the sink and fill the bowl with water because you can’t stop eating it.”

This recipe is everything you want in a chocolate cupcake – rich and decadent, moist and fudgy, and the perfect chocolatey flavor throughout. It’s a classic flavor pairing that will satisfy any chocolate lover in your life, and I’m a firm believer that every cake maker should have a good chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream recipe up their sleeve. Whether you pair the recipes together or use them separately to pair with other flavors, these are some great staples to add to your recipe box. 

You’ll notice that the cupcake recipe calls for hot coffee or hot water. You can absolutely use either, but the hot coffee will really help amplify the chocolate flavor in these cupcakes. It won’t add any coffee flavor in the process. I like to use fresh pour-over coffee, but you can use instant coffee or whatever you’re used to drinking at home.

I’ve kept the decoration simple with these babies by piping a swirl of chocolate buttercream with my Wilton 1M tip, but feel free to get creative with the design. They’re made even more beautiful with these pretty sprinkles from Fancy Sprinkles in the Birthday Balloons mix. I just love the pops of color and texture they add! 

Here’s a quick video of how to make these chocolate cupcakes before you read through the recipe below:

PS: If you’re into cake decorating videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube Channel! Click the Subscribe button while you’re there so you never miss a new video. 

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Chocolate Cupcakes With Chocolate Buttercream

Rich and moist chocolate cupcakes topped with decadent chocolate buttercream.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 15 cupcakes

Ingredients

One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 Cup (132g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 Cup (150g) white granulated sugar
• 1/3 Cup (30g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 Cup (60ml) vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) buttermilk, room temperature*
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) hot coffee or hot water**

Chocolate Buttercream

• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 Cups (360g) powdered sugar
• 1/2 Cup (45g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp (45ml) whole milk, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

Make The Chocolate Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF/177ºC and line a cupcake pan with 12-15 liners.
• Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix on low with either a hand mixer, the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, or by hand until combined. Add the hot coffee (or hot water) in a slow stream. Continue mixing on low until fully combined and smooth, 1-2 minutes. The batter will be very thin.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners (no more than ⅔ full) and bake for 15-18 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Make The Chocolate Buttercream

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter on high speed until creamy and light in color, about five minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle and turn the mixer to low, then add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Continue mixing on low speed until fully combined and uniform, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle as needed.

Assembly

• Let the cupcakes cool thoroughly before frosting with chocolate buttercream. In the images above, I've used Wilton tip 1M to pipe a swirl with the buttercream before adding these sprinkles. 

Notes

*DIY Buttermilk recipe: add 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to a jar and top it with 1 Cup of whole milk. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes before using in the recipe. 

**hot coffee will not add any coffee flavor to the cupcakes, but it does help amplify the chocolate flavor better than hot water. 

Make Ahead Tips: 

1. The chocolate cupcakes can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, they can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two months. 
2. The chocolate buttercream recipe can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-mix with your stand mixer on low speed to bring it back to frosting consistency. 

Did you make these chocolate cupcakes? I want to know how it went! Leave a comment below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create!

The post One Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I can’t tell you how many requests I’ve gotten for a cupcake version of my S’mores Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Buttercream. It’s one of my all-time favorite recipes (s’mores fan to the core, here!) and there are so many amazing flavors going on in it: graham cracker cake, decadent chocolate, toasted marshmallow buttercream. I had to get a little creative to capture the magic of these flavors in cupcake form, and I am so happy with how they turned out. Behold!

These S’mores Cupcakes have a lot going on, but every step is totally worth the amazing flavor. It all starts with a graham cracker flavored cupcake baked on top of a graham cracker crust (my husband’s idea, and it is so genius). You basically mix up a quick graham cracker crust and press a spoonful of it into the bottom of the cupcake tin before adding the cupcake batter on top. Although the cupcake batter is already flavored with graham cracker crumbs, the crust adds the perfect amount of texture and really takes the graham cracker flavor to the next level! 

After those tasty graham cracker cupcakes cooled, I filled them with marshmallow fluff and frosted them with my favorite chocolate buttercream. And since one thing I really loved about the S’mores Cake I made last year was the piped and toasted meringue, I decided to use that same technique to top these cupcakes! The marshmallow meringue recipe below is the perfect piping consistency, and toasting it is my favorite part of the whole recipe. 

If you don’t feel like going the extra mile to make marshmallow meringue, you can totally top these with a regular ol’ marshmallow and toast it with a culinary torch. The marshmallow meringue is so pretty and tasty, but it is the only thing in this recipe that can’t be made ahead of time. That being said, if you do decide to spend that extra 10 minutes making the meringue (worth it!), make sure you whip it up right before you’re gonna pipe it on. After you toast it, the meringue holds its shape for two days, whether it’s at room temp or refrigerated. 

Whether you’re a hardcore s’mores fan or you’re making these for someone else who is, they are sure to please. Between the gooey marshmallow, the graham cracker cupcake, and the perfect hit of chocolate, these beauties are a little bit of s’mores heaven. Enjoy!

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Toasted S’mores Cupcakes

Graham Cracker Cupcakes filled with Marshmallow Fluff, topped with Chocolate Buttercream and Toasted Marshmallow Meringue – the perfect S'mores Cupcakes!

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 17 minutes

Servings 14 cupcakes

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1/2 Cup (52g) graham crackers, ground into crumbs
• 2 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Graham Cracker Cupcakes

• 1/2 Cup (52g) graham crackers, ground into crumbs
• 1 1/4 Cups (133g) cake flour, sifted before measuring
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 Cup (71g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 Cup (137g) granulated white sugar
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature

Marshmallow Filling

• 1/3 Cup Marshmallow Fluff

Chocolate Buttercream

• 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 Cups (180g) powdered sugar
• 1/4 Cup (21g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Marshmallow Meringue Topping

• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 3/4 Cup (150g) granulated white sugar
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Make The Graham Cracker Crust

• In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until well incorporated.

Make The Graham Cracker Cupcakes

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F and line a muffin pan or cupcake pan with liners. Press a spoonful of the Graham Cracker Crust into the bottom of each cupcake liner.
• In a medium sized bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs, sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter for one minute on high. Scrape down the bowl and paddle and add the sugar. Cream together on high for two minutes, scraping down the bowl and paddle once in between. Turn the mixer to low and add the egg and egg yolk until combined.
• Add vanilla and mix on medium for one minute. Turn the mixer to low and add all of the dry ingredients at once until just combined, then add the milk all at once. Scrape down the bowl and paddle once more and mix on low for about 30 seconds. Do not overmix.  
• Pour batter on top of the graham cracker crust bottomed liners to fill no more than ⅔ full. Bake for 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before filling or frosting.

Make The Chocolate Buttercream

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip butter on medium speed until creamy and light in color, about four minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle and turn the mixer to low, then add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, salt, and vanilla extract. Increase the speed to medium and beat for one full minute.

Make The Marshmallow Meringue

• Whisk the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar together in a small heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with an inch or two of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water (or else it will cook your eggs!). Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar has dissolved, about 4 minutes.
• Once the sugar has dissolved, pour the mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the vanilla and whisk the mixture on high for 6 full minutes, until stiff peaks form. You should be able to dip the whisk into the meringue and it forms a peak that maintains its shape when turned right side up and upside down.

Assembly

• Once the Graham Cracker Cupcakes are cooled, cut out the centers using a knife or inverted large piping tip. Fill the empty centers with Marshmallow Fluff. Fit a piping bag with Wilton tip 1M and fill it with Chocolate Buttercream, then pipe a swirl of chocolate buttercream on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs.
• To get the look pictured, fit one piping bag with Wilton Tip 1M and another with Wilton Tip 4B. Fill both piping bags with Marshmallow Meringue. Pipe a small swirl with Wilton Tip 1M on top of each cupcake, then pipe two stars next to each small meringue swirl with Wilton Tip 4B. Toast the meringue accents (carefully!) with a culinary torch.

Notes

Make Ahead Tips:

The Graham Cracker Cupcakes can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. Alternatively, you can place them in the freezer in an airtight container for up to one month before thawing and using. 

The Chocolate Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and rewhip with your stand mixer to bring back to frosting consistency. 

The Marshmallow Meringue cannot be made ahead and must be made right before you’re ready to pipe and torch it. 

Did you make these cupcakes? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments below and be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram. I love to see what you’re caking!

The post Toasted S’mores Cupcakes appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

When you think of the most classic birthday cake ever, what comes to mind? For me, it’s always been yellow cake with chocolate frosting. All throughout my childhood, my momma used to mix up a box yellow cake, bake it in a casserole dish, smear canned chocolate frosting on top, and write Happy Birthday on it with those little tubes of icing colors you can still find at the grocery store to this day. I loved those birthday cakes. And I’m really surprised that after all my years of caking, it’s taken me this long to nail down the perfect yellow cake recipe. Well, wait no more! 

There are a couple reasons why I decided to focus my energy on developing this fluffy yellow cake this past week. The first was I got a DM on Instagram requesting it, which made me realize I’ve never actually even tasted a from-scratch yellow cake. So I went on a wild Google spree figuring out what makes it different than a vanilla cake, what makes it yellow, etc (all things I will get to in a minute). The second was I know that most of the world is stranded at home right now due to this crazy pandemic, still celebrating birthdays in quarantine. I wanted to provide an easy, amazingly tasty birthday cake to help you guys celebrate! 

So back to the recipe. This yellow cake is the definition of light and fluffy – It is SO incredibly soft! I kept poking it over and over in disbelief because I swear it’s as close to box mix (but from scratch) as you’re gonna get. I tried something new with this one and basically took my favorite vanilla cake recipe, added an extra egg yolk, and substituted some of the butter with vegetable oil. The results were perfect: the softest texture ever, ultra moist, rich vanilla flavor, and pairs perfectly with my favorite chocolate buttercream recipe. In other words, birthday cake heaven!

So what makes it a yellow cake, exactly? In all my Googling I learned that yellow cakes are basically vanilla cakes made with whole eggs, whereas white cakes are vanilla cakes made with egg whites. The yolk is where the yellow color comes from, but honestly, if you want it as yellow as a box cake mix you’ll have to add a drop or two of yellow food coloring (which is definitely in the ingredients section on a box yellow cake). The all-natural version just isn’t as saturated, but I can promise you it tastes just as classic. 

I filled and frosted this fluffy yellow cake with my decadent chocolate buttercream recipe and ran a Wilton Icing Comb over it to get the lined finish. Then, I used Wilton Tip 1M to pipe a rope border around the top edge and added some Sprinkle Pop Unicorn Rainbow Jimmies to give it a pop of color. You can decorate it any way you want, so feel free to go simple, over-the-top, or anywhere in between. 

A great thing about this recipe is that it’s extremely versatile. You bake it in a casserole dish if you don’t have round cake pans, bake cupcakes with it, or half the recipe to make a mini version. If you don’t have cake flour on hand, you can make a DIY version using all-purpose flour with this homemade cake flour recipe.  

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Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

A soft and fluffy from-scratch yellow cake that's packed with vanilla flavor and ultra-nostalgic. Filled and frosted with decadent chocolate buttercream for the most classic birthday cake ever.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Yellow Cake

• 2 1/2 Cups (265g) cake flour, sifted before measuring*
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 Cup (60ml) vegetable oil
• 1 2/3 Cup (340g) white granulated sugar
• 3 whole eggs + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 1/3 Cup (75g) sour cream, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 Cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature

Chocolate Buttercream

• 2 Cups (452g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 7 Cups (840g) powdered sugar
• 1 Cup (84g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) whole milk, room temperature
• 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Make the Yellow Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare three 6-inch cake pans or two 9-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with a cooking spray (Baker's Joy is my favorite) and a wax paper circle fitted to the bottom of the pan. Alternatively, you can grease and lightly flour the pans. 
• Sift the cake flour and then measure by spooning and leveling it in your measuring cup. Add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. 
• In the bowl of your stand mixer (a handheld mixer works fine too!), cream the butter for on high for two minutes until it's light and fluffy. Add vegetable oil and sugar, then continue to mix on med-high for another two minutes. Add the whole eggs and egg yolk one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix for one minute on high, scraping down the bowl and paddle once more. 
• With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add the milk slowly and mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps (without over-mixing). The batter will be slightly thick, but pourable.
• Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans (no more than 2/3 of the way full) and bake for 30-35 minutes. They're done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack for an additional few hours of cooling. Make sure they're entirely room temperature before applying any frosting. 

Make the Chocolate Buttercream

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip butter on medium speed until creamy and light in color, about four minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle and turn the mixer to low, then add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, salt, and vanilla extract. Increase the speed to medium and beat for two full minutes.

Assembly

• Once the cakes have cooled, torte them before filling and frosting with chocolate buttercream. To create the design pictured, use an icing scraper to smooth the sides and make them straight, then gently drag a cake comb through the buttercream to create lined texture. Use Wilton Tip 1M to create a rope border around the top edge by piping overlapping rosettes. Add rainbow sprinkles to finish the look!

Notes

*DIY Cake Flour Recipe: To make your own cake flour, spoon and level one cup of all-purpose flour and remove 2 Tbsp. Add 2 Tbsp of cornstarch. Repeat per the amount of cake flour you need, then sift the flour and cornstarch mixture 4 times (don’t skip that step!). After sifting, spoon and level to re-measure the amount of cake flour you need. 

Make Ahead Tips:

1. The yellow cake layers can be baked, cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and left out at room temperature up to two days ahead of decorating. Unfrosted cake layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for up to two months before thawing and frosting. 
2. The chocolate buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and rewhip with your stand mixer to bring back to frosting consistency. 

To Make as a Sheet Cake: fill a sheet pan or casserole dish with the yellow cake batter no more than 1/2 full and bake at 350ºF for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

To Make as Cupcakes: fill cupcake tins no more than 2/3 full and bake at 350ºF for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Did you make this cake recipe? I wanna know what you think! Let me know in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you’re caking! Stay safe and healthy out there, lovelies.

The post The Fluffiest Yellow Cake Recipe + Chocolate Frosting appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I’ve been curious about ruby chocolate for awhile now, mostly because of its gorgeous, all-natural mauve coloring. So when I saw these Chocolove Ruby Cacao bars at my local New Season’s, I almost squealed! I thought it was a super rare find but it turns out you can find ruby chocolate bars at most grocery stores now, especially around Valentine’s Day. It’s the latest chocolate confection since the invention of white chocolate, only it’s made from the ruby cocoa bean with no added flavoring or food coloring. 

I was totally (pleasantly!) surprised at the all-natural flavor of this Ruby Cacao bar – it tastes mostly like raspberry with a hint of chocolate. It’s a total pleasure to eat, not too sweet or bitter at all, but a perfect balance of fruit and chocolate flavor. I knew I had to try making it into a buttercream because I imagined it would pair perfectly with my favorite chocolate cake (spoiler alert: it is a match made in heaven). Plus I had to find out what color the buttercream would end up! 

To make this ruby chocolate buttercream, I used the method as my white chocolate buttercream recipe: melt the chocolate, cool it to room temp, and add it after creating the butter/powdered sugar mixture. You’ll notice that this buttercream doesn’t have a lot of powdered sugar in it, but trust me. There’s some sort of magic that happens after you add the melted chocolate and whip it all together. It ends up making more buttercream than you would expect (about 3 cups), frosts and pipes like a dream, and has such incredible flavor! A must try if you’re ready to experiment with a new kind of chocolate.

You’re probably wondering why the color of this chocolate is pink, since cacao beans are typically brown. If you Google image search ruby cacao beans, they’re actually a bit more ruby in color (hence the name), and the resulting chocolate gets even more of a pink hue after the beans have been processed in a specific way. It’s wild, and I’m a fan.

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Ruby Chocolate Buttercream

A silky smooth ruby chocolate buttercream with natural notes of berry and chocolate and all natural color. Perfect for piping cupcakes or frosting a smooth cake finish. Makes enough to frost 18 cupcakes, or fill/frost a 3 layer 4-inch cake.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Servings 3 Cups

Ingredients

• 6 oz (170g) ruby chocolate, chopped into small bits
• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 Cups (180g) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 Cup (60ml) heavy whipping cream, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

• Add the ruby chocolate into a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, then microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir until all the ruby chocolate is melted and there are no lumps. Alternatively, you can melt the ruby chocolate using a double boiler. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, add the powdered sugar, and mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, give the melted ruby chocolate a few stirs and make sure it’s not hot enough to melt the butter (if it is still too hot, wait a few minutes before adding!), then add it in. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth. Add the vanilla, heavy whipping cream, and salt and beat for another minute on medium.

Notes

Make Ahead Tip: This buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for one day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip with your stand mixer to bring it back to piping/frosting consistency.

Yield: This buttercream makes enough to:

• Frost 12-15 cupcakes with a piping bag
• Fill and crumb coat a three-layer 6-inch cake or two-layer 8-inch cake. To have enough for frosting and decorating as well, double the recipe. 

Did you make this recipe? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments below or tag me on Instagram so I can see what you’re caking. I love to see your creations!

The post Ruby Chocolate Buttercream Recipe appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I’m one of those people who starts making big plans for costume ideas months ahead of time and watches all the scary movies as soon as they hit Netflix. So when I saw some sneak peeks of SprinklePop’s Halloween sprinkle lineup, I couldn’t help my brain from bursting with spooky cake ideas! I got my hands on the Monster Mashup sprinkle mix as soon as it hit the shelves and got right to work on planning the ultimate Halloween cake.

The Monster Mashup sprinkle mix is just what it sounds like: a fun collection of monster-esque sprinkles mixed up with some pretty Halloween colored awesomeness. It’s well-saturated with cute candy mummies, googly eyes, and ghosts. Just look at the variety of shapes and colors you get:

In the spirit of Halloween, I decided that the perfect backdrop for these Monster Mashup sprinkles is black buttercream. Pitch black buttercream to be exact. Using a floating technique for placing the sprinkles, it almost looks like those googly eyes, mummies, and ghosts are levitating in the dark! To add to the spook-factor, I’ve also topped the cake with some white cotton candy that’s reminiscent of cauldron smoke.

And because I’m an ultra Halloween nerd, I also tinted the vanilla cake with orange food color gel underneath it all. Everyone knows orange and black are the signature colors of this horrifying holiday. Muah ha ha ha.

I’ve included a full written tutorial below for how to make and assemble this cake, from achieving pitch black buttercream to perfectly placing your Monster Mashup sprinkles. First, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the decorating process: 

Whether you’re in need of a Halloween party showstopper or you just want to make something for the love of spooky cakes, this one’s for you!

You Will Need:

• Chocolate buttercream (here’s the recipe I use)
• 2 tsp Americolor Super Black food color gel
• A great vanilla cake recipe
• A few drops of orange food color gel, optional
• Icing spatula and scraper
• SprinklePop Monster Mashup Sprinkles
• Piping Bag
• Wilton Piping Tip 1M (or another favorite piping tip)
• White cotton candy

Step 1: Make The Chocolate Buttercream

Going from large amounts of white buttercream to black is near impossible. I’ve successfully tinted small quantities before, but in my experience, the easiest way to turn large amounts of buttercream pitch black is to start with your favorite chocolate buttercream recipe. Since brown is not far from black on the color wheel, you won’t have to use a ton of food coloring to get there.

If you don’t yet have a favorite chocolate buttercream recipe, I’ve got a great one for you here! You’ll want to double that recipe to have enough for filling and frosting this cake.

Step 2: Tint The Chocolate Buttercream Black

To get the best consistency of black buttercream, you need a food color gel that’s so concentrated you don’t need to use the entire bottle. My absolute favorite food color gel for the job is Americolor Super Black. It’s a water-based gel and is so powerful you’ll only need a little bit of color! And best of all, it doesn’t affect the taste of your buttercream at all. Not even a little bit.

Once you’ve made your chocolate buttercream, add 2 tsp of Americolor Super Black and make sure it’s fully incorporated. I add it at the end while my buttercream is still in the stand mixer and let the paddle attachment do all the hard work for me.

Step 3: Let The Buttercream Set Overnight

After adding your food color gel, note that your chocolate buttercream won’t be pitch black right away. It’ll probably look a bit like dark concrete. The missing ingredient here is time. In order to let that food color gel work it’s magic, you’ll need to add your buttercream to an airtight container and stick it in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, bring it back to room temperature and whip it all back up in your stand mixer.

What you’ll end up with is pitch black buttercream magic!

Step 4: Bake And Cool The Cakes

While your buttercream is setting in the fridge, whip up your favorite vanilla cake recipe and add a few drops of orange food color gel at the end to tint the cakes.

Bake the cakes according to your recipe instructions and let them cool completely before torting the layers to your desired height.

Step 5: Fill And Frost With Black Buttercream

Once your cakes are completely cool and leveled, fill and frost them with your black buttercream. I’ve created a smooth black buttercream finish as the backdrop for my sprinkles.

I use an offset icing spatula and bench scraper to achieve the perfect smooth buttercream finish, and if you need additional tips on how to create this look, you can check out this blog post on how to get the smoothest finish ever.

Step 6: Apply The Monster Mashup Sprinkles

Now for the fun part: adding the sprinkles! To achieve the floating monster sprinkle look, reserve some of the googly eyes, mummies, and ghosts from your Monster Mashup sprinkle mix and set them aside. While the buttercream is still soft enough for the sprinkles to adhere, pour a handful of the Halloween colored sprinkles into your hand and place them around the bottom of the cake.

Cover the entire bottom third of the cake this way, making the top edge of the sprinkle border slightly uneven as you go around.

Once your sprinkle border is complete, take the monster sprinkles you’ve reserved and place them one by one around the top two thirds of the cake. It looks best when there are more monsters toward the bottom and less toward the top. I’ve also chosen to add some of the colored jimmies one by one to fill in some of the blank spaces.

Step 7: Decorate The Top Of The Cake

When your spooky Monster Mashup sprinkle placement is complete, prepare a piping bag by fitting it with Wilton Tip 1M or another favorite piping tip of yours. Fill the piping bag with black buttercream and pipe a border around the top of the cake. I’ve chosen to pipe a few swirls around the top of the cake and sprinkle with more Monster Mashup sprinkles.

Stretch out the white cotton candy so it looks a little more like cauldron smoke and less like a clump of cotton, then place it on the top of your cake.

How cool is this cake? Definitely a showstopper for your Halloween festivities! This design will work with any of SprinklePop’s Halloween sprinkles, but I think the Monster Mashup does the trick quite well. Happy Halloween month to all!

The post Spooky Black Buttercream Halloween Cake appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

After testing so many chocolate cake recipes over the years, I’ve come really close to perfection only to miss the mark on the essentials of a good chocolate cake: moistness, fluffiness, and great chocolate flavor. You know, the kind with the slightly sticky crumb that just melts in your mouth and almost makes your eyes roll back in your head because it’s just that good. While my chocolate cakes of the past have been acceptable, this one I’m about to share is the absolute best I’ve ever had. No joke. It’s fudgy, moist, decadent, and makes me so giddy I want to shout it from the rooftops!

The best part of this chocolate cake recipe is that it’s about as easy as a cake mix. It’s a one-bowl cake, meaning you basically put all the ingredients into one bowl (in the right order, of course) and whip it up into the smoothest chocolate cake batter ever. There are absolutely no complicated steps to this cake, which makes it super failproof and the perfect go-to chocolate cake recipe for your repertoire.

This cake is ultra-moist due to the vegetable oil base and the addition of buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can easily make it from scratch using whole milk. Just mix it with white vinegar (exact recipe is in the notes below), let it sit for about 15 minutes, and voila! Perfect buttermilk every time.

You can pair this chocolate cake with almost any buttercream, but I’ve chosen to pair it with my favorite chocolate buttercream recipe to really enhance the chocolate flavor. In the past I’ve paired it with cherry, raspberry, almond, salted caramel, and vanilla buttercreams and those pairings have been super tasty.

The rope border on top of this cake was created using Wilton Tip 1M to pipe rosettes on top of one another around the edge of the cake. Then I topped it all off with one of my favorite sprinkle mixes ever – Rainbow Road by SprinklePop. I think sprinkles are the perfect finishing touch, but you can decorate however you’d like.

Here’s a video I made to show you all the tips and tricks for making this chocolate cake recipe (below). For more recipe videos like this one + tons of cake decorating videos, head to my YouTube Channel and be sure to click the Subscribe button so you never miss a new one!

Update 2022 – Two things: 1) I realized that you can absolutely make this recipe by hand instead of using a mixer! That makes it an even easier one bowl cake. Exact instructions are in the notes of the recipe below. 2) I prefer using hot coffee in this recipe (enhances the chocolate flavor big time!), but you can absolutely use hot water as an alternative.

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Perfect One-Bowl Chocolate Cake Recipe

A moist, decadent chocolate cake that is so easy and quick to whip up, it’ll become a forever go-to. Top it with chocolate buttercream for the best chocolate cake ever. 

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

• 2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour
• 1 2/3 Cups (340g) white granulated sugar
• 2/3 Cup (60g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk*, room temperature DIY recipe in the notes
• 1 Cup (240ml) hot coffee or hot water

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with a wax paper or parchment cake circle. 
• Place all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir on low for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix on low until just combined. With the mixer still on low, add the hot water in a slow stream, then turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin. 
• Pour into prepared cake pans no more than 2/3 full and bake for 32-36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting with chocolate buttercream or frosting of your choice.

Notes

DIY Buttermilk recipe: add 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to a jar and top it with 1 Cup of whole milk. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes before using in the recipe. 

Make ahead tips: this cake can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature. 

To Make as Cupcakes: fill the tins no more than 2/3 full and bake at 350ºF for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

To Make by Hand (Without a Mixer): In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together until uniform. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk, and whisk everything together until smooth. Whisking constantly, add the hot coffee (or water) in a slow, steady stream. Continue whisking until the batter is smooth and uniform. It will be very thin. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake according to the recipe above. 

Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or by tagging me on Instagram! I love to see your creations and hear your feedback.

The post The Perfect One-Bowl Chocolate Cake Recipe appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

One of my friends described this chocolate buttercream perfectly: it’s the kind you have to put in the sink and cover with water so you don’t eat the whole bowl. I think she’s totally right, because time and time again I find myself eating this stuff by the spoonful. I’m a huge fan of all things chocolate, so it doesn’t surprise my that this is my favorite buttercream of all. Yes, those are strong words, but this is how I feel.

The funny thing is there isn’t anything fancy about the process of making this buttercream or the ingredients involved, but the end result is amazingly tasty! It’s a simple American buttercream with cocoa powder added. I always opt for Hershey’s natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this one, but any unsweetened cocoa powder will do just fine. One thing to note about this recipe is that as soon as you finish whipping it up, the color looks like a light brown at first, but then ends up looking darker as the cocoa powder starts to saturate it. The end result is something more like the medium brown below.

You can pair this chocolate buttercream with just about any cake flavor that goes well with chocolate. My all-time favorite cake combination is pairing this chocolate buttercream with this chocolate cake recipe. I am pretty biased because I’m a huge fan of all things chocolate, but trust me on this one – it’s perfect! But beware, whatever cake you top it with, you’re gonna want to eat the extra by the spoonful. Consider yourself warned!

Here’s a quick recipe video to show you the process before you read all about it below:

PS: If you’re into cake decorating videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube Channel! Click the Subscribe button while you’re there so you never miss a new video.

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Chocolate Buttercream Recipe

A decadent chocolate buttercream that's so easy to whip up, but yields amazingly tasty results. Pair it with chocolate cake for the ultimate chocolate-lover's dessert. 

Prep Time 10 minutes

Servings 3 Cups

Ingredients

• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 Cups (360g) powdered sugar
• 1/2 Cup (45g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and light in color, 4-5 minutes.
• Scrape down the bowl and paddle, then add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, salt, and vanilla extract. Cover the mixer with a clean kitchen towel (to prevent ingredients flying out of the bowl), then turn the mixer to low and mix until all ingredients start to come together.
• Remove the kitchen towel, scrape down the bowl and paddle, then continue mixing on low speed until uniform and smooth, 2-3 minutes.

Notes

Make Ahead Tips: this buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. Alternatively, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and rewhip with your stand mixer to bring back to frosting consistency. 

Yield: This buttercream makes enough to:

• Frost 12-15 cupcakes with a piping bag
• Fill and crumb coat a three-layer 6-inch cake or two-layer 8-inch cake. To have enough for frosting and decorating as well, double the recipe. 

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