Tips & FAQ - Black Buttercream with Black Cocoa Powder

Tip 1: With black cocoa powder and food gel, making black buttercream is super easy. But if you don't have black food gel, mix 3 parts blue food gel, 2.5 parts red, and 1 part green in a separate bowl before adding it to your larger mixing bowl.

Tip 2: Make this recipe about 8 hours before you need the frosting to turn black. Doing this an evening before helps the frosting darken; its color intensifies with time.

Tip 3: Black buttercream should never taste bitter! It's rich and chocolate-forward. People who notice a bitterness in their black frosting may have added too much food gel. Try adding more cocoa powder and sugar to offset this.

Tip 4: Black buttercream looking grey? Leave it in a covered bowl at room temperature. Give it more time to change colors, but if you don't have time... read tip #5.

Tip 5: To deepen color, take roughly 1/4 cup (50 grams) at a time of your now almost-black frosting. Heat it in a microwavable bowl for five seconds on medium power.

(cont'd) Add this melted frosting back into your mixing bowl, and turn the mixer on again to combine. Continue to heat small amounts of frosting to mix it and add back to your main bowl until you have your desired shade of black.

Tip 6: Ended up with leftover black frosting? You can always store any remaining buttercream in an airtight container in your freezer for a few months. Thaw and rewhip when ready to use.

Tip 6: I've never seen black cocoa powder in the grocery store. It might be in your local shop, but if not, it's available online. Dutch processed cocoa powders are often available in stores, and that works, though is not as dark as black cocoa powder. It will work, though will require you to add more black food gel to reach a true shade of black.

Homemade black buttercream is great for decorating cakes, cupcakes, and more. Swipe up for all the tips on my website!