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Home - Cupcakes

Published: Sep 29, 2017 · Modified: Aug 11, 2023 by Amanda Powell · This post may contain affiliate links.

Black Velvet Cupcakes with Raspberry Jam

Jump to Recipe

Celebrate Halloween with these moist black velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and raspberry jam. They a deliciously spooky twist on a Southern classic.

Halloween couldn't get spookier than with these black velvet cupcakes with drizzles of raspberry jam "blood"

Why you'll love it

These black velvet cupcakes are a delicious Halloween-inspired twist on the Southern classic red velvet cupcake. They are light, fluffy, moist, and incredibly flavorful.

The recipe uses a mix of butter and oil to create a cupcake that is incredibly rich and flavorful, yet moist with a tender crumb.

To finish the cupcakes, we use my favorite velvety cream cheese frosting. In keeping with the spooky theme, we then drizzle it with a bit of a simple raspberry syrup.

It pairs great with other deliciously spooky recipes like this bloody white cake and these delicious halloween macarons.

cupcakes on cake stand

Key ingredients

If you've made a red velvet cake or cupcake, the ingredients for this black velvet cupcake is very similar. There are only a few notable ingredients in this particular recipe.

  • Cornstarch - The addition of cornstarch keeps these cupcakes very light and tender. If you don't have cornstarch, however, it is alright to omit it.
  • Cocoa powder - Any cocoa powder works for this recipe, but Dutch-processed works the best. If you want to emphasize the color of the cupcakes, you can try using black cocoa powder.
  • Food coloring - To give the cupcakes it's spooky color and keep close to the traditional recipe, we use black food coloring. I recommend the brand Americolor.

How to make

  1. Preheat the oven and line a cupcake pan with liners.
  2. Mix together the dry ingredients together and set aside.
  3. Beat the butter and oil together with the sugar and then add in the egg, food coloring, and vanilla.
  4. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.
  5. Mix together the vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl, then whisk into the cupcake batter.
  6. Divide the batter into the liners and bake.
  7. Make the frosting and the drizzle, then pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcaked and drizzle with the sauce.
Celebrate the fun of Halloween with these incredible black velvet cupcakes with raspberry jam blood

Expert baking tips

The most important way to ensure you get the best results is to make sure you are correctly measuring your ingredients, particularly the flour. You should fluff up the flour and then spoon it into your measuring cup then sweep of the excess. If you want to make sure you get consistent results, you can convert the recipe to metric and use a kitchen scale.

Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. This helps the ingredients emulsify and come together in a smooth, velvety batter that bakes up beautifully. You can quickly warm up eggs by leaving them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. Soften butter quickly using the tips outlined in this guide. If you don't have buttermilk, you can use any number of substitutions.

Recipe FAQs

How do I store black velvet cupcakes?

Keep the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. You can extend the shelf-life by storing them in the refrigerator. You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and frost when ready to serve.

What is the best way to put the batter into the cupcake liners?

The best thing to use is an ice cream scoop. This makes the process cleaner and ensures that you are adding the same amount of the batter into each liner.

Nothing beats black velvet cupcakes with raspberry jam for Halloween

Recipe Card

Nothing beats black velvet cupcakes with raspberry jam for Halloween

Black Velvet Cupcakes

Amanda Powell
Deliciously spooky black velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and "bloody" raspberry jam
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 18 minutes mins
Total Time 48 minutes mins
Course cupcakes
Cuisine American
Servings 12 cupcakes
Calories 390 kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon black food color (may need more depending on the brand.
  • ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar
  • ¾ teaspoons baking soda

Raspberry Drizzle

  • ½ cup raspberry jam
  • 1 drop red food coloring
  • 2 tablespoons water

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt together. Set aside.
  • In a stand mixer, beat together the butter, oil, and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after adding each egg.
  • Beat in the vanilla and the black food color. Add more black food color as needed. The mixture should look mostly very dark grey. The color will deepen and intensify during baking.
  • Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk. Add another ⅓ of the flour, then the remaining buttermilk followed by the last ⅓ of the flour. Mix until just combined.
  • Quickly, but carefully, mix together the vinegar and baking soda. The mixture will bubble up a lot.
  • Pour the baking soda mixture into your batter and stir in well for 10 seconds.
  • Evenly divide the batter among the cupcake liners.
  • Bake the cupcakes for 15 - 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs sticking to it when inserted in the middle.
  • Let the cupcakes rest in the tin for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Cut out a hole in the middle of the cupcakes using a sharp knife. Fill in the cupcakes with raspberry jam, you should still have plenty leftover.
  • Beat the butter and cream cheese for the frosting and add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy. You can add a tablespoon of heavy cream if your frosting seems too thick.
  • Pipe the frosting over the cupcakes.
  • Mix the remaining raspberry jam with a drop of red food coloring and a tablespoon of water. Drizzle over the cupcakes.

Notes

Store in an airtight container

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 390kcalCarbohydrates: 72gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 272mgFiber: 1gSugar: 56g
Keyword black velvet, cream cheese frosting, cupcakes, halloween, red velvet
Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram! @acookienameddesire #acookienameddesire

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About Amanda Powell

Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carole says

    July 17, 2023 at 12:26 pm

    What brand food color did you use??

    Reply
    • Amanda Powell says

      July 17, 2023 at 3:07 pm

      I exclusively use Americolor. It IS on the pricier side, but a little goes a long way as it is highly pigmented, especially as your cakes are baked up! https://amzn.to/43tTRQf

      Reply
  2. Carole says

    July 17, 2023 at 12:23 pm

    I’m going to cake instead of cupcakes

    Reply
  3. Aaniyah says

    November 14, 2019 at 10:50 am

    Hi,
    Can I use something else instead of the buttermilk (I wasn’t able to find any at my grocery). Also, can I use regular white vinegar? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Amanda Powell says

      November 14, 2019 at 10:52 am

      Regular vinegar should work, and if you have it available, you can make your own buttermilk by adding a couple of drops to milk and letting it sit for about 5 minutes!

      Reply
      • Aaniyah says

        November 14, 2019 at 12:41 pm

        Diy buttermilk: vinegar + milk and I let it sit for 5 min?

      • Amanda Powell says

        November 14, 2019 at 12:52 pm

        Yes! It’ll start looking curdled, but that’s how it should look. You can also use plain yogurt (not Greek) thinned out with just a touch of milk

      • Aaniyah says

        November 14, 2019 at 8:47 pm

        Perfect, thanks a lot! 😉

  4. Amelia says

    October 06, 2019 at 7:31 pm

    Hi!

    Just want to know how many cupcakes the batter will make.

    Thanks for this recipe! Excited to see how they come out.

    Reply
    • Amanda Powell says

      October 06, 2019 at 11:34 pm

      A dozen!! I hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  5. Demeter | Beaming Baker says

    October 17, 2017 at 7:35 am

    These cupcakes are so much fun!! Love how amazing they came out. Can't wait to see all the Halloween treats you have in store for us this year!

    Reply
  6. Heather @ Sugar Dish Me says

    October 08, 2017 at 12:34 pm

    LOOOVE this recipe! So perfect for Halloween but I bet these are amazing anytime!

    Reply
  7. Liz says

    September 30, 2017 at 7:01 am

    These are spectacular! I'll add them to my Halloween Project Post! xo

    Reply
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Hey, I'm Amanda!

I am the baker and photographer behind A Cookie Named Desire. I'm a cookbook author, food science nerd, world traveler (sometimes) with a major weakness for cookies and cheese.

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