Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350 F/ 175 C. Line and grease three, eight-inch cake pans. Combine flour, sugar, black cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine warm water, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until fully incorporated. The batter will be thin.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake for 24-27 minutes. Use a kitchen scale to ensure even batter distribution for uniform cake layers.
- Let the cake layers cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges with an offset spatula and flip them onto wire racks to cool completely. Level the tops of the cake layers with a serrated knife.
- For the buttercream, beat butter until smooth. Add black cocoa, vanilla, and salt. Mix until incorporated.
- Slowly mix in powdered sugar and heavy cream until combined. Next, mix in the cooled, melted semi-sweet chocolate until the desired consistency is reached.
- For a deeper black color, add black gel food coloring. Cover the frosting to prevent crusting.
- For the drip, place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Heat heavy cream until steaming. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 1-2 minutes.
- Add black gel food coloring and stir until smooth. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes until slightly warm.
- Stack and frost the cake layers on a cake board, using frosting to secure the first layer. Add an even layer of buttercream between each cake layer.
- Apply a thin coat of frosting to cover the cake layers. Smooth with a bench scraper and chill the cake until the frosting is firm.
- Apply a second, thicker layer of frosting and smooth with a bench scraper. Chill the cake again until firm.
- Test the ganache consistency. If needed, gently warm it in the microwave. Add the drips to the chilled cake using a squirt bottle or spoon.
- Decorate as desired. Pipe swirls on top with an open star tip and add edible gold paint or luster dust mixture to the edges.
Notes
This cake is perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, or any special occasion where you want to make a statement. Feel free to adjust the amount of black gel food coloring to achieve your desired shade of black. For extra flair, consider adding edible gold leaf or black and gold sprinkles.