Which Is Esier For Decorating A Cake With Stencils Gel Or Butter Cream

Easy and Delicious Black Buttercream That Won't Stain Your Teeth!

Easy and Delicious Black Buttercream That Won't Stain Your Teeth #blackbuttercream #halloweencake #cakebycourtney

It's true! You can actually make a black buttercream without the fear of staining all your guests' teeth black!

You've had that fear before, right? No? Just me?

Black Buttercream Attempt #1

It actually wasn't just a fear. I actuallydid dye all my guests' mouths black at Westin's 3rd birthday party. At the time Westin was hugely into superheroes and asked for a Batman cake. Not knowing nearly as much as I do now, I thought using a vanilla buttercream base was the best way to tint any frosting. Ha!

Easy and Delicious Black Buttercream That Won't Stain Your Teeth #blackbuttercream #halloweencake #cakebycourtney

I had to use SO much black food gel to turn that white frosting black that a single bite of the cake quickly tinted everyone's mouths' completely black. I couldn't believe it! Well, actually I could based on how much food gel I knew went into that frosting – so I guess a better way to say it is, I was so embarrassed!

Black Buttercream Attempt #2

Since then, I haven't even thought about making black frosting until last year when I tried Sweetapolita's Black Chocolate Cake and Black Chocolate Frosting. What did I learn? First and foremost, you've got to start with a chocolate based frosting! That seems like a no-brainer now, but back in the day, the thought didn't even cross my mind.

Sweetapolita's black chocolate frosting is fudge-y and delicious, but I made a few tweaks to the recipe for taste and to simplify it even more.

Easy and Delicious Black Buttercream That Won't Stain Your Teeth #blackbuttercream #halloweencake #cakebycourtney

Black Buttercream Attempt #3

There are a few key components to making black buttercream black without staining your guests' teeth. Here are the essentials:

Black food gel
Dark cocoa powder
Time

I like Americolor's Super Black food gel, but Wilton also has a great one if that's easier for you to track down.

Next, you really need a dark or black cocoa powder. I like Extra Brute Cocao Barry (linked in the recipe), but there are several other "black" cocoa powders you can find on Amazon. I have also tried Hershey's Special Extra Dark Cocoa Powder which you can get just about anywhere now. It works great! The cocoa didn't change the flavor at all, and only had to use 1 teaspoon black food gel to darken it just a bit more.

And lastly, give this frosting some time to rest. It will likely not look black right away. The color will darken the longer it sits out (just like my red and blue frosting). I recommend you make this frosting a day before you want to use it. It can be stored covered in the refrigerator for the night or left at room temperature for half a day.