Black cocoa cake aka the most delicious, spookiest Halloween chocolate cake.
This post may contain affiliate links, please read the privacy policy for details. This post is sponsored by PapaNicholas Coffee. All opinions are my own. || Recipe updated 10/23/24.
black cocoa cake
If you’re looking for a halloween spin on a chocolate cake, you’ve come to the right place! This cake is ridiculously moist, fudgy, chocolatey delicious. It’s made with three layers of rich and moist black cocoa cake, three layers of espresso-infused ganache, two layers of rich black cocoa cream cheese frosting, and, if you’re up for it, cute little cream cheese ghosts. So let’s get into it! ☺︎
papanicholas coffee
I’ve partnered again with my all-time favorite coffee brand: papanicholas coffee for this black cocoa cake. I use their coffee beans every day and am so happy to be able to partner with them to spread the love of their coffee. In this recipe I used their swiss chocolate espresso which has a mellow milk chocolate flavor with a mild and sweet finish. I definitely highly recommend trying some of their coffee, they have so many delicious flavors and are always the coffee I use in my recipes (and for my daily caffeine dose!). You can find their website by clicking here. Also, if you do end up purchasing their coffee be sure to use code FRESH20 for 20% off your coffee order!
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
How to make your chocolate cake more chocolatey:
The secret to getting more chocolate flavor into your chocolate cake? Bloom your cocoa powder! Blooming your cocoa powder just means that you’re mixing the cocoa with a hot liquid. Here we’re using hot espresso to both bloom the cocoa and add moisture into the cake. Adding in the hot espresso releases the cocoa powder particles from a very thin membrane on them, exposing cocoa solids and bringing out more flavor. It’s truly such a simple way to add more chocolate flavor into your bakes, and makes it easier for the cocoa to incorporate into the batter.
Be careful when mixing the cake batter:
When you over-mix your batter, you create more gluten in the batter which will make your cakes go from light and moist to dense and chewy. When you’re mixing in the dry ingredients, be sure that you only mix *just until* that last streak of flour disappears into the batter.
Use room temperature ingredients:
This is super important for allowing the batter to come together smoothly. You’ll want to take your ingredients out of the fridge about an hour before baking to allow them enough time to come to room temperature.
Keep a close eye on the cake while it bakes:
Cakes and cupcakes like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them while they bake and to check them with a toothpick when the full baking time is almost done.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for black cocoa cake:
black cocoa cake:
- All purpose flour: the structure of the cake
- Baking powder: for leavening and giving that “cakey” texture
- Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness
- Black cocoa powder: gives the cake a deep, rich chocolate flavor and turns it black in color!
- Espresso: a shot of hot espresso poured over the cocoa helps bring out that ultra chocolatey flavor. You can use freshly brewed espresso from a machine or instant espresso mixed with the appropriate amount of hot water. Hot coffee will also work well here too. If you are avoiding espresso or coffee, you can just use hot water or milk in its place!
- Vegetable oil: tenderizes the cake. Any neutral oil, such as canola, will also work here.
- Granulated sugar: sweetens the cake and helps lock in the moisture.
- Egg: contributes moisture to the cake and helps bind the batter together
- Vanilla: for flavor.
- Sour cream: tenderizes and adds moisture to the cake. I recommend using full-fat sour cream for the best texture.
espresso ganache:
- Espresso beans: we’ll crush some espresso beans and steep them in the heavy cream for a delicious, strong espresso flavor.
- Heavy whipping cream: smooths out the ganache.
- Semi-sweet chocolate: use your favorite chocolate here. Just note that there is no sugar added, and the overall taste will be a little less sweet than whichever chocolate you use. Chips or a baking bar will work.
black cocoa cream cheese frosting:
- Unsalted butter & cream cheese: the base of the frosting. Feel free to use salted butter here, just be sure to omit the extra salt if using!
- Salt: helps balance and bring out the sweetness of the frosting.
- Powdered sugar: sweetens and thickens up the buttercream. If you are looking for more of a melt-in-your-mouth texture, use organic powdered sugar!
- Black cocoa powder: gives the buttercream a deep, rich chocolate flavor and turns it black in color!
how to make black cocoa cake
Here’s a little look into making this black cocoa halloween cake. The full recipe can be found at the end of this blog post!
- Mix together the black cocoa and hot espresso, then whisk in the remaining wet ingredients.
- Mix in the dry ingredients, pour the cake batter into your pan, then bake.
- Make the espresso ganache by steeping some crushed espresso beans with the heavy cream, then mixing it with the chocolate.
- Beat together the black cocoa cream cheese frosting ingredients.
- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, slice it into 3 layers.
- Layer the cake in the pan, freeze it, frost the outside, then slice, serve & enjoy!
black cocoa cake recipe q&a
what is black cocoa powder?
Black cocoa powder is essentially dutch process cocoa powder that is further alkalized. Doing so gives the cocoa a deeper, richer chocolatey flavor. It also turns the cocoa powder black – which is super perfect for all your spooky Halloween baking desires! Here is the black cocoa powder that I use and love. Black cocoa powder is also a great way to naturally dye your bakes black.
do I need to use espresso?
I highly recommend using espresso in the cake because it compliments the chocolate flavor. If for any reason you don’t want to or can’t use espresso in the cake, that is perfectly fine! Simply replace the hot espresso with an equal amount of hot water or milk. For the ganache, you’ll just heat up the cream and pour it over the chocolate.
can I make this into cupcakes?
If you’re looking for black cocoa cupcakes – here is my recipe for those!
how to store this cake
Keep this cake stored in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep well for up to 3 days.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Black Cocoa Cake
Ingredients
Black Cocoa Cake
- 180 g all purpose flour (1 ½ c.)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 60 g black cocoa powder (½ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 90 g Papanicholas Swiss Chocolate Espresso (3 ¼ oz.)
- 150 g vegetable oil (¾ c.)
- 200 g granulated sugar (1 c.)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 170 g sour cream room temperature (¾ c.)
Espresso Ganache
- 45 g Papanicholas Swiss Chocolate Espresso Beans* (3 tbsp.)
- 180 g heavy whipping cream (6 oz.)
- 170 g semi-sweet chocolate (1 c.)
Black Cocoa Cream Cheese Frosting
- 226 g cream cheese (1 c.)
- 113 g unsalted butter (½ c.)
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 330 g powdered sugar (2 ¾ c.)
- 30 g black cocoa powder (¼ c. + 1 tbsp.)
Instructions
Black Cocoa Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter a 7" springform pan, then coat the inside with sugar.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Brew 90g of espresso. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and freshly brewed espresso.
- To the cocoa-espresso mixture, whisk in the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream until well combined.
- Add in the flour mixture, and whisk together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Espresso Ganache
- Place the chocolate into a small mixing bowl and set aside. Lightly crush the espresso beans.
- Add the crushed espresso beans and heavy whipping cream to a small saucepan. Set the mixture over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Once the mixture starts to simmer, turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
- Put the cream back on medium heat and bring it to a simmer again. Once it’s simmering, pour the cream through a fine mesh sieve over the chocolate.
- Whisk the cream and chocolate together until the ganache is smooth. Set the ganache aside to cool to room temperature before frosting.
Black Cocoa Cream Cheese Frosting
- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and salt for 1 minute.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and beat until combined, then beat in the rest of the powdered sugar. (Optional: remove ~100g of the frosting and set it aside to make little ghosts later on.)
- Add the cocoa powder into the frosting and beat on low speed for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is well combined. (If making little ghosts later on, remove ~30g of frosting and set it aside.)
Assembling the Cake
- Once the cake has completely cooled to room temperature, carefully slice the cake twice horizontally to get 3 even layers.
- Line the springform pan with cake acetate (or plastic wrap.) Transfer the cream cheese frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
- Place the bottom third of the cake back into the springform pan, then pipe a ring of frosting around the edge of the cake. Pour ½ of the ganache into the center, smoothing it out into an even layer.
- Place the middle cake layer on top, pipe another ring of frosting around the edge, and fill the center with the remaining ganache.
- If the top of your cake is quite round, slice it to flatten it out. Place the top cake layer on top, upside down, pushing it down slightly to secure it. Place the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up. If your frosting seems super soft, place it in the fridge to firm up a little while the cake firms up.
- Once the cake has set, remove it from the pan and acetate. Place the cake on your serving tray of choice.
- Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese frosting on the top and around the entire cake. Transfer the remaining frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large ribbon pastry tip and pipe a wavy design on to the cake.
- For the little ghosts: transfer the vanilla cream cheese frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and transfer the chocolate cream cheese frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe two blobs on top of each other for the ghosts body, then pipe a little face on to them with the chocolate cream cheese frosting. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
Also – sorry – can this be made in 2 or 3 6×2 pans?
You could certainly bake this in two 6×2 pans! I would probably start checking for doneness around 18-20 minutes. ☺︎
I’m excited to make this but I’m also confused — it says 90g espresso needed for the cake but then the instructions say to brew 60g? Is the first measurement for the dry espresso powder and the second for the brewed shot of espresso?
Hi! Sorry for the late reply and for the confusion – you will use all 90g of brewed espresso in the cake and i’ve updated the recipe to reflect that.
What are these little ghosts made off??
Hi! They’re made of marshmallow buttercream but you can use a regular vanilla buttercream as well. It’s linked near the top of the post under “black cocoa cake” 🙂