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.
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.