Midnight Black Buttercream and Caketopia

Caketopia: Your Guide to Decorating Buttercream Cakes with Flair, written by Sheri Wilson, features a variety of fantastic techniques and detailed instructions to create stunning cakes. The book is filled with 30 step-by-step tutorials covering everything from sprinkle art and painting with buttercream to forming stripes, playing with glitter, and adding the perfect ganache drip. I will also be sharing her recipe for Midnight Black Buttercream following the review.

Disclosure: I received this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Sheri Wilson

Sheri Wilson is a baker, cake artist, and founder of Cake Design by Sheri. Her work has been featured in People, CNBC, POPSUGAR, and more.

She is currently based in Lewiston, Idaho.

Caketopia

Sheri begins Caketopia with a short introduction along with a guide covering basic tools and beginner tips to help get started. She even goes over storage, stacking and layering cakes, and notes on transport/travel.

The chapters are divided by technique: Master the Basics, Sprinkle Club: Easy-Peasy Sprinkle Art, Treat Yo’Self: Totally Doable Candy-Themed Cakes!, Seeing Stripes: Brilliant Buttercream Color Combos, Pretty Piping: Master Cute and Contemporary Piped Designs, On Point: Eye-Catching Geode Cakes, Paint Like a Pro: Artful Expressions Inspired by Nature, Extravagant Elements: Next-Level Designs to Impress, and Recipes for Success.

The contents also have a list of the included cakes with page number for easy reference.

I was absolutely blown away by the incredible level of detailing with exact instructions and photo guides for every step of the way. The photography is provided by Zachary and Sherilyn Wilson. Every cake is paired with at least a full-page photo of the finished cake along with individual photo to show the technique and labeled with a number to match the step in the written instructions.

Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Each recipe includes a headnote with background information, size, yield, ingredients, tools, and tips.

Midnight Black Buttercream

I made this Midnight Black Buttercream for three different cakes and it came out flawlessly every single time with such a striking color!

When I first received the book and showed it to Claire, she was immediately drawn to the Neon Leopard Print cake. I was a bit nervous to try (it looked detailed with techniques I hadn’t tried before) and saved it for last.

There are still a few things I need to practice, but I was so so excited about the results. The Midnight Black Buttercream leopard spots really stand out against the rainbow of color around the cake.

Even the cake itself is filled with color (we are in the middle of a cross-country move and this cake was perfect for using up my remaining food coloring and the black cocoa powder).

I’m still working on getting my cakes smooth, but I am so happy with the results. This was actually my first time using a stencil and bench scraper to smooth out the frosting.

Black Cocoa Powder

I have used black cocoa powder a few times to create a deep dark chocolate color and notable flavor in baked goods and this buttercream (see my Homemade Chocolate Sandwich Cookies and Dark Chocolate Brownies).

It can be found in the specialty baking section of some grocery stores or on Amazon: Black Cocoa Powder.

More Cakes

I also made the English Garden Rose, Night Flowers, Lake of Shining Waters, and Call of the Siren.

Of all the cakes I tried, the English Garden Rose wasn’t the most difficult, but it did take the longest! The beautiful rose pattern is created with lots and lots of tiny piped dots. It was perfect for celebrating a birthday weekend with friends. The interior was filled with a decadent chocolate cake, raspberry filling, and dark chocolate ganache frosting. I also used the Midnight Black Buttercream for the rose and leaf outline.

The Night Flowers cake was such a fun group activity to decorate with my friend and daughter. A decadent chocolate cake is layered with dark chocolate ganache frosting and covered with the Midnight Black Buttercream. This creates the perfect base for vivid painted flowers.

I made the Lake of Shining Waters to celebrate the kids’ last day of school. I really loved the technique to paint the glossy vanilla buttercream on the top of the cake. The cake itself was also delicious with a classic vanilla cake base and lime curd filling.

The Call of the Siren was another favorite for Claire. A classic vanilla cake is stacked with a cookies & cream buttercream (so good that Evan requested it for his Minecraft Adventure Cake), then covered in pink, teal, and sky blue scales to create a mermaid pattern. Sheri also arranged pearls and sprinkles over a few of her scales, but we didn’t have them available.

Caketopia is a great pick for those looking for inspiration and a variety of cake decorating ideas. I was incredibly excited to see so many fun and unique techniques I hadn’t tried before. Along with the cake designs, there are a variety of base recipes to build flavor and even options for variations.

Many of the base ingredients are readily available in the average American grocery store while the extra decorations and designs will need access to a specialty shop or online ordering. A few items that may require further searching include specific sprinkles, food-grade glitter, candy, gold leaf, and more.

Midnight Black Buttercream Recipe

Excerpt from Caketopia

Print Pin

5 from 4 votes

Midnight Black Buttercream

A recipe for Midnight Black Buttercream from the cookbook, Caketopia! This rich and creamy buttercream uses black cocoa powder for a striking dark color.

Course Dessert

Cuisine N/A

Keyword buttercream, chocolate, cocoa, dessert, frosting

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 -7 Cups

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (232 grams) Dutch-processed black cocoa powder Sheri prefers The Cocoa Trader brand
• 2 pounds (907 grams) powdered sugar
• 2 cup (452 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• Wilton black gel coloring depending on how dark your black cocoa is; optional

Instructions

• Sift the black cocoa and powdered sugar into a large bowl and set aside.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed for 5 minutes, or until pale and increased in volume.
• Once the butter has become fluffy and has increased in volume, lower the speed to low and add the heavy cream, vanilla and salt.
• With the mixer still running at low speed, begin to add the cocoa mixture, 1 cup (135 grams) at a time, until all has been added.
• Increase the speed to medium and mix until creamy and well incorporate, but no longer than 1 to 2 minutes, or excess air bubbles will form in your buttercream.
• If needed, add the black gel coloring at this point. Allow your mixer to run at the lowest setting for about 5 minutes to eliminate any excess air bubbles.
• Remove any remaining bubbles by pressing the buttercream against the side of the bowl. You should hear popping sounds as the bubbles come to the surface and burst.
• Continue to scrape and fold until the buttercream is very smooth and no visible bubbles remain. This can take quite a while sometimes, depending on how much air was incorporated into the buttercream when whipping. Take your time, and don't be afraid to take a breather if your arm is falling off from beating!
• This buttercream can be stored for up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or 1 month in the freezer.