Blackout Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
Our family's all-time favorite chocolate cake gets dressed up for Halloween with blackout cocoa, blackout frosting, and a generous dusting of spooky sprinkles. Whip this up for a pre-Halloween party but beware: I find it devilishly hard to put down the fork.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons, 113 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder see note
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
For the Frosting
- 1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk any kind
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- spooky sprinkles for fun!
Instructions
- Measure buttermilk and set out at room temperature while you mix the other ingredients. (The butter should already be softened to room temperature before you start.)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a cake pan with cooking spray and set aside. (This can be baked as a 9”x13” sheet cake or in two 8” or 9” round cake pans. If using round pans to assemble as a layer cake, I cut and place a round of parchment on top of the cooking spray to be extra sure that the cake will fall out of the pan cleanly.)
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer if you have one, cream together the butter and sugar until they are fluffy and thoroughly mixed. Add eggs and vanilla extract, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and blend well again.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- With the mixer running on low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the butter-sugar blend. (If mixing by hand, just add half the flour, then gently fold it in.) Pour in the buttermilk, beat to incorporate, then add the rest of the flour mixture.
- Continue to mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high, or mix as rapidly as you can by hand, to get a smooth and silky cake batter.
- Pour batter into cake pans and bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. (See note below for estimated bake times.) Let cake cool all the way to room temperature before frosting.
- To make the frosting, melt the butter, then pour into a large mixing bowl and stir in cocoa powder. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, alternating with portions of the milk and beating rapidly by hand or with an electric mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add vanilla extract and salt. Beat very rapidly until the frosting is smooth, even, and easy to spread.
- Frost sheet cake or layers and add sprinkles as desired. (This frosting makes enough to generously frost a 9”x13” sheet cake or a two-layer 8” or 9” round cake.) Enjoy!
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Notes
- Cocoa Powder: You can use regular cocoa powder with no other substitutions; the cake just literally won't be as dark in color.
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Baking Times: I find 9” cake layers bake in about 28 minutes; 8” cake layers take 31-32 minutes; and a sheet cake takes about 30 minutes exactly. This will vary depending on your oven, however, so it’s really best to test with a toothpick or a paring knife a few minutes before you think it might be done.
- Storage: If tightly sealed, this cake keeps very well at room temperature for 3-4 days. If you bake often, a rectangular cake keeper is an affordable and highly-valuable investment; clipping this lid on is so much easier and more effective than struggling with plastic cling wrap!
Nutrition Estimate
Calories: 234 kcal, Carbohydrates: 38 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat: 9 g, Saturated Fat: 6 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g, Trans Fat: 0.3 g, Cholesterol: 36 mg, Sodium: 190 mg, Potassium: 114 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 28 g, Vitamin A: 285 IU, Calcium: 32 mg, Iron: 1 mg