Oh, hi!
I’m here! And I come bearing twinkly black cake–Glam Rock Layer Cake, to be exact. A sweet celebration of contrast and colour!
As you probably remember, I spend most of my days now in the shop packing orders and making sprinkle medleys, which means that my day is literally filled with every colour in the universe. This is about as much fun as you would think, but it always has me wondering what baked goods would best bring these colour combinations to life, since that is why we love and collect sprinkles, right? They are pretty charming on their own, all candy-like and pretty, but their lives aren’t really complete until they find their spot to shine. And working in a “sprinkle factory,” I probably forget this more than anyone! I just think the world is a better place by the mere existence of them ;).
I named these sprinkles Glam Rock (Twinkle Sprinkle Medley) because they really do bring me back to my “glam rock-ish” teenage life (and yep, all of the components are not only edible, but sweet and tasty). As a teen in the late 80s/early 90s, I was as devoted to rainbows, showy rock stars and glam metal bands as one frosty-haired girl should be. And I don’t see one good reason why there shouldn’t be a sprinkle mix to celebrate it. ;) But no matter what we call it, bright colours = happy, and that’s what works. This colour combination could represent so many things, and truth-be-told, I’ve been dying to make a jet-black frosting cake!
So let’s talk about the frosting. Tinting frosting black (including fondant, although I prefer to purchase black fondant) can be tricky. Ideally, you are starting with chocolate frosting–when you can start with chocolate frosting (I’m not sure there is really any other way) you’re halfway there! True black is likely the most difficult colour to achieve; sure, we could use oodles and oodles of black food colouring, but as anyone who has tried to tint frosting an intense red or black (and sometimes other dark colours), even using a concentrated gel paste, has likely discovered that it is possible but at the cost of a very off-putting after (sometimes not-so-after) taste. Oh, man.
Colouring black frosting is surprisingly simple, but I think the secret is the black cocoa powder. Remember we used the black cocoa powder a few times in the last few months? Well, first in the Midnight Cookies & Cream Layer Cake layers, and then most recently in the Dark & Dreamy Fudge Layer Cake–both in the cake layers and the frosting. Well that intensity with dark and decadent cocoa is what gives us such a head start. I started with a variation on this super dark and glossy fudge frosting (a slightly sweeter version) from my Dark & Dreamy Double Fudge Cupcakes.
I think what makes this frosting so stunning is the gloss–matte black is beautiful too, but I think it’s paramount that the frosting on a cake (or any dessert) look truly appealing and luscious. I’d hate to put so much love into something just to have no one actually want to eat it. Eeeek! So to our swirls of glossy dark fudge frosting, we add a small amount of a very concentrated black gel paste–since I only used one (AmeriColor Super Black), I can’t really comment on how other brands would do (although, I might avoid Wilton brand colours). Anyway, I started with 1/2 teaspoon of the gel paste, but in the end I think I used a total of about 1 teaspoon. Depending on the chocolate you use in your frosting, and some other mysterious factors, you might need more, which is okay. Just make sure that you don’t add too much that your frosting tastes off.
But, wait! Before you keep adding and adding more colour, let what you’ve started with “process.” Seriously, this part is key! The goal here is to use as little as possible so the taste is undetectable (and I’m pretty certain the less colour paste we ingest in life, the better). Now all colours intensify after they sit for a while, so this applies to anytime you are colouring frosting, but since we really want to maximize the small amount of black paste we’re adding, I say wait about 15 minutes if you can. I’m pretty sure the frosting on my cake is still getting blacker as we speak (literally).
Now that all said, this is a very rich frosting to start with, and a pretty large batch, so don’t fret if it takes more black paste than you hoped. Particularly if you can’t find “black” cocoa powder–this stuff literally is black in colour, which is what we need. Dark cocoa powder is better than nothing, but it will just require more paste.
Because the frosting is so, so glossy, I was tempted to leave the top bare (as above), but I opted to cover it in the end, because the sides of the cake were mostly exposed, which gives us a chance to admire the glorious sheen.
So, let’s talk about sprinkling the sides of a cake! So many of you have reached out to me about your issues getting the sprinkles to adhere to your cakes, so I want to chat about that for a minute too. In my experience, there are 2 main factors at play when we sprinkle the sides of a cake: the frosting consistency/temperature and the frosting texture. In terms of consistency, I find that, typically, as long as your frosting is sticky but not “wet” feeling, the sprinkles should stick just fine. In other words, if your frosting is very soft and spreadable, and you’ve just applied the frosting to the cake, you will want to chill it for a few moments until that initial gooey-ness has gone away. This can take as little as 5 minutes in the fridge, depending on the frosting.
See, if the frosting is too gooey, the sprinkles will stick beautifully, but you will end up with frosting on your hands, ultimately smearing it onto the sprinkles you apply over and over.
That all said, the actual frosting you use has a lot to do with the “sprinkle stickability” as well. I have had great success with chocolate frostings of all kinds, meringue buttercreams of all kinds, and some vanilla frostings. Just a note that sprinkles don’t like “crusting buttercream.” While I don’t really use crusting buttercream, I know from some seeing very sugary vanilla frostings that tend to almost crust when cold (that sort of rough, dry finish from all of the confectioners’ sugar and often shortening), that sprinkles just won’t want to stick. Although, if you were to do the sprinkling immediately after you frosted the cake, I imagine that would work in most cases. Essentially, no matter what the frosting, tacky is the ticket!
I find what works best for applying the sprinkles is to, first off, always build your cake on a thin-but-sturdy cake board, so you can hold the cake from the bottom. I hold the cake in my left hand over a tray, and then with my right hand (dominant), I grab sprinkles from a big bowl and then gently press them onto the bottom of the cake, letting the excess fall to the tray. Once I have gone all the way around, I pour the excess sprinkles from the tray back into the bowl/bottle. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll want to sprinkle every cake in the universe
For the top of a cake with a piped border of any kind, you’ll want to chill the cake until the border is firm to the touch (about 30 minutes, usually). Since we don’t need the top of the cake to be super sticky (thank you gravity), we can just add the sprinkles to the surface–once the cake comes to room temperature for serving, those sprinkles will magically stick. You can also gently press down on them with your hand to ensure they stick before slicing the cake (although the tinker-patter-kaplink of falling sprinkles whilst slicing a layer cake has a charm of its own).
I should mention that for anything super tiny or light, such as nonpareils and edible stars/squares, etc. You’ll want to go in after and “throw” them where you want them. You can also add more of the larger sprinkles where you want them, if there are some empty spots or if you feel the artistic need to really finish the job the way you see fit. It’s kind of amazing how much visual power the right sprinkles have–imagine this cake all black, and then minutes later bursting with colour, contrast and texture. It’s so simple but so effective.
And, oh yes! There *is* an inside to the cake :). To carry our “glam rock” theme throughout, these dark chocolate butter cake layers are black as night with no added colour–yay! Thanks again to our new friend, black cocoa powder. I used the a variation on the chocolate butter cake in my book, because it’s unthinkably tender and flavourful–particularly with the dark cocoa powder. Intensely chocolate.
While the chocolate butter cake recipe can be baked in 3 x 8-inch round pans, I opted to bake them in 4 x 7-inch round pans for added height and a slight smaller diameter. You could definitely go the 3 x 8-inch round pans though, if you don’t have the 7s.
For the inside frosting I just went with a sweet vanilla frosting which I tinted a vibrant purple (much like when we made the Galaxy Layer Cake). I love this purple! You can boost it or go a little easier on the colouring for a more pastel effect (as in the photo above), but I love the tone of it. I use equal parts AmeriColor Regal Purple and Electric Purple, and it creates a really pleasant shade.
I’d say this cake is all about contrast, and I just love the striking look of the purple stripes against the black cake and of course the black frosting and sprinkles. It’s my kind of party.
Sprinkles!
So let’s make this Glam Rock Layer Cake!
November 8, 2016 NOTE: I have modified the recipe for the black frosting slightly, as some folks were having issues with the frosting being too soft. Happy baking!
- 2 1/3 cups 315 g all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup plus one tablespoon 100 g best-quality black cocoa powder
- 1 1 /2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups 360 ml buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup 120 ml hot coffee OR very hot water
- 1 cup 227 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups 560 g packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup 60 g mayonnaise, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup 227 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups 375 g confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup 60 ml whipping cream (heavy cream) or milk
- 2 tablespoons water plus more if needed
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Few drops each AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste Color in Electric Purple and Regal Purple
- 2 cups 454 g unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups 500 g confectioners' sugar
- 3/4 cup 90 g premium dark (preferably black) cocoa powder (I used Guittard Noir)
- 1/2 cup 120 ml hot water
- 1/2 cup 120 ml sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract I used Nielsen-Massey
- Generous pinch of salt
- 8 ounces 240 g premium dark (but not extra dark) chocolate, chopped or chips, melted (I used Callebaut Callets)
- Soft gel paste color in Super Black (or other concentrated black gel color of your choice, but this one is the only I can promise works for black coloring)
- Sprinkles of your choice 1-2 cups, depending on size of the sprinkles
- You will also need:
- 1 large pastry bag disposable or reusable
- Large plain round pastry tip I use Ateco #809
- Sprinkles of your choice 1-2 cups, depending on size of the sprinkles--see Sweetapolita's Notes
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Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Spray two 7"x2" round cake pans (to be used twice for 4 layers) with baking spray (such as Pam for Baking), or grease the bottoms and add parchment rounds to each.
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In a large bowl or atop a large piece of parchment paper, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In a large measuring glass with a spout, mix together the buttermilk and coffee/water. Set aside.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat well. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well (about 30 seconds) and scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.
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Lower the speed to the lowest setting and add one third of the dry mixture until just combined, and add half of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk mixtures. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and whisk in the mayonnaise.
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In a small bowl combine the baking soda and vinegar, and quickly add to the batter. Whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds. Divide one-quarter of the batter into each pan (this should weigh about 430 grams if you are using a digital scale).
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Bake the first two layers in the center of the oven until a wooden pick comes out with a few crumbs, 24-27 minutes. Let the cake layers cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and then gently invert onto the wire rack. Wipe the pans clean and repeat with the final layers. Let all of the layers cool completely. The cake layers will keep wrapped tightly in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until very pale and creamy, about 8 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, and gradually add the confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and salt. Beat for 1 minute.
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Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until very light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Add a few drops of each AmeriColor Regal Purple and Electric Purple until desired shade is achieved. Frosting with keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring chilled frosting to room temperature and beat on low speed to soften. If necessary, you can warm the frosting in a heatproof container in the microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring after each one, until smooth and spreadable.
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Add all of the ingredients, except the melted chocolate and black food color, into the food processor, and pulse until everything is incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and pulse until smooth. Add a small amount of the black color (about 1/2 teaspoon). Pulse until combined. Let sit for about 15 minutes (the color will take awhile to process--it's best to let it sit rather than adding more and more right away). Add more color if necessary, until desired black tint is achieved.
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In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or with a handheld mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder. Reduce to speed to low, and add the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, water, sour cream, vanilla, and salt and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 more minutes. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add a small amount of the black color (about 1 teaspoon). Pulse until combined. Let sit for about 15 minutes (the color will take awhile to process--it's best to let it sit rather than adding more and more right away). Add more color if necessary, until desired black tint is achieved--remember that it continues to darken over time.
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Put your first cake layer top-up on an 7" round cake board or 9" plate, and spread one-third of the purple frosting on top. Repeat with all of the layers, placing the final cake layer top-down. Make sure that your layers are straight and lined up with the ones below. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and chill for at least 15 minutes.
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Remove the cake from the fridge and, using a turntable, if possible, frost entire outside of cake with a thin layer of the black frosting to seal in the crumbs. Chill until the frosting begins to firm-up, about 30 minutes.
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Remove the cake from the fridge and return it to the turntable. Cover the cake with a thick, even and smooth layer of the black frosting using an offset spatula, reserving about 1 1/2 cups of frosting for the piped top border. Return the cake to the fridge and chill for another 20-30 minutes.
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You will want the frosting for the buttercream "poof" border to be very soft, in order to achieve the appealing peaks. Warm frosting in a small heatproof bowl for about 8-10 seconds, and stir. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip with the softened frosting and pipe some buttercream "poofs" around the top perimeter of the cake.
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Pour your sprinkles into a medium bowl and gently press sprinkles onto the bottom third of the cake, all the way around, letting the excess fall back into the bowl. You can also put the cake on a cookie sheet and let the excess sprinkles fall onto the sheet. Return the cake to the fridge until the buttercream poofs are very firm, about 30 minutes. Pour more sprinkles atop the flat exposed surface of the top of the cake. Cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Serve at room temperature.
Sweetapolita’s Notes:
- As I mentioned above, for the black cocoa powder used in both the cake layers and the black frosting for this cake, I used Guittard Cocoa Noir (Black) – 5 lbs (a big tub because I go through it quickly), but you can also find Black Cocoa Powder
on Amazon. You might recall I usually use a very dark (but not black) cocoa powder (Cacao Barry Cocoa Powder Extra Brute
) for all of my chocolate baked goods, which also works very well, tastes amazing, and is quite dark in itself, with a rich red hue. The black cocoa powder just adds more of a midnight black effect, which I love. And, of course, the taste is also incredibly deep, dark and wonderful. Just know that it’s very intense! This is a great time to pair things like sugary frostings and candy sprinkles :).
- For the dark chocolate in the frosting, I use Callebaut Semi-Sweet Dark Chocolate in callet form (fancy word for chips)–they taste incredible and are easy to measure & melt.
- I use Fat Daddio’s Anodized Aluminum Round Cake Pan
s for all of my cake layers. For this cake I used the 7-inch x 2-inch round cake pans, because I wanted to cake layers to be a little taller, yielding a taller cake. You can bake this cake in three 8-inch round pans, if you prefer.
- For the poofs on top of the cake, remember that the key is very soft frosting and an extra large round plain tip (I used Ateco #809). And, as always, if you make a mistake or aren’t happy with your poofs, you can simply remove it and do it again. I’ve been known to do this several times! Haha.
- I always use a Silver Embossed Round Thin Board for my cakes–it’s perfect for moving the cake to and fro while decorating, and of course transporting.
- I tend to use AmeriColor soft gels paste colours for the most part, and I find their Super Black Americolor Soft Gel Paste does the trick (I also use this in black velvet cake). You can certainly use another brand if you feel it offers a deep black hue with no taste. For the purple frosting, I used equal parts of the Regal Purple and Electric Purple (like we did back with the Galaxy Cake).
- For the sprinkles, I used Sweetapolita Glam Rock Twinkle Sprinkle Medley, but of course you can use any sprinkles you like! I just love this mix because of the serious colours and metallic bits. Certainly a show-stopper!
- If you prefer to use your own mix, you can always add just Edible Silver Stars for a dose of magic.
- The cake stand used in these photos is a Pink Milk Glass Cake Stand by Mosser. I have this in several colours, and I love them!
Happy caking, friends!
See you soon!
This is truly a piece of art! I am loving the glam rock vibe and wish I could have you ship that entire cake to my house!
I’ve never seen a blacker cake before. The contrast of the colorful sprinkles and black frosting is stunning. They seriously pop!
I totally agree! I too think the contrast of the sprinkles are beautiful. I would put my own spin on them by making a stark white cake instead of chocolate. Imagine how beautiful that would be!
Absolutely Gorgeous!!! I LOVE the contrast of black and the bright colors of the sprinkles. I can’t wait for an occasion to make this!
This cake makes me so happy! I got the glam rock sprinkles recently, and I can’t wait to use them! I really loved all your sprinkling advice. Sometimes my frosting dries to quickly and they don’t stick, but I’m going to try one of your frostings next time. Love the purple on the inside! :)
This looks *Amazing*, just my kind of striking cake! I would love to make true black icing but I have never seen black cocoa powder for sale in the UK and can’t find any online that isn’t extortionate, sigh…
Gorgeous! I am planning to make a cake and needed some advice. its going 6 layers by 8 inches. I am worried about the weight of the cake on the board. Which cake board do you recommend for such heavy cakes?
Thanks!
I’m sure it depends on the cocoa you use, but I’ve found that baking with amounts as large as even 1/2 cup of black cocoa gives any cake a bitter and almost burnt flavor that’s really unpleasant. Usually I have to do a ratio of about 2/3 regular cocoa to 1/3 black cocoa to get the dark color while avoiding the bad flavor.
I made this frosting twice and I just love it
Exactly as you say, using dark cocoa is black in colour.
Purple is my favorite color and O M G the sprinkles ❤
Pure perfection. The cake is beautiful!
Only you know make the best cakes.
You rock Rosie!
Beautiful!
I LOVE this cake!!! I just had a birthday and was so busy I never made one for myself instead we had one out to dinner. So I’ve been wanting to make one and this will be it. I totally love the looks of it and it sounds incredibly moist. With the exception of ending up with black teeth I’m sure this will be a huge hit. I’m getting ready to leave town but when I return I’m going to order some of those fun Glam sprinkles and make myself a belated birthday cake. How fun is this!!!
I wish you had a bakery in my hometown so i can buy all my cakes from you! This one is just beautiful! I have tried to make your cakes but they don’t come out looking as beautiful as yours! You inspire me! Thank you!
Thank you for not only providing the ingredient measurements by weight, but also the amount of batter for each pan for your recipes. I’ve gotten away from blogs that only provide volume measurements for baked goods because they’re just too inaccurate (and with the price of butter, sugar, and other ingredients these days, who can afford failures?).
I love this cake, and will be saving the recipe, perhaps to make for my daughters and my birthday (she was born on my birthday, so we share the day).
I’m just going to pray for a cool week (birthday is May 22), because we don’t have a/c and you can’t frost a cake when your kitchen is 80°F (ask me how I know…..).
Every cake you make is stunning! Completely smitten!
Definitely I love this cake!! I’m so surprised for the purple frosting inside!!! Completely Glam Rock :D It’s Gorgeous!!!Your work is amazing!!!
Thanks for share every little detail.
Oh wow, I love the purple and black colour combo!
You make the most gorgeous cakes. Every time I get an email from your blog I always am anxious to see what beautiful creation you have made. Once again you didn’t disappoint.
Really gorgeous cake. I’m always drawn and intrigued by black or dark cakes. I’ve not made one yet but I’m anxious to try my hand. Unfortunately I’m not a very good decorator but my cake ALWAYS taste good. Now if I can just learn to decorate better, I’ll have it made. Literally, heh heg.
Thanks so much, Bee!
This cake looks amazing! I squee-ed when I saw the purple inside! I also just ordered some sprinkles from you and luckily the Glam Rock ones are in my order – once they arrive, I think I’ll have to make this cake. Thank you for detailing out all your rules for making black frosting and putting sprinkles on a cake. Super helpful!
This cake is absolutely beautiful!!!
Oh wow I love this! And I’m glad you gave tips on getting the black colour, I can never get my black frosting to get that sort of colour! I’m definitely saving this cake!
Okay:
1} your cake is gorgeous, really fantastic. I know I’ve commented before, but this doozy is entitled;
2} I got the food coloring;
3} All I need now are the sprinkles and my daughter to help, make and eat it
Loves this cake I does
Anyone have any suggestions on where to get black cocoa powder in Toronto? Amazon won’t ship to me ….
I have seen it at McCall’s in Etobicoke!
http://www.mccalls.ca
Maybe someone in US will forward it to you if you buy it and have it sent to them/
King Arthur Flour may ship to Toronto
You should contact King Arthur Flour Company for the black cocoa powder
Oh my God that’s absolutely beautiful! I love the Goth chic ;-)
Wow what a cake ! I don’t usually like black frostings but this one is so shiny and bursting with colourfull sprinkles that I love it. You sure know how to make a rock and roll cake ;-)
Blown away by this graphically gorgeous cake! And so stoked to try “black” cocoa powder!! Thanks for sharing your tips, Rosie!!! Xo
Hi Rosie,
Just talked to Emma….and I’m so excited for you both!! Love your work!! :-)
Ah this looks amazing! I have to try this for my next bake.
You always do the most beautiful frosting. #inspiration
stunning… so glad I stumbled upon your site
Black cocoa powder is on my shopping list! Thanks for the tip!
http://www.sistersweetly.wordpress.com
This cake is gorgeous!!
Love these sprinkles atop a black cake!!
Gorgeous!! I don’t have a lot of experience with black frosting, so maybe my question is silly, but does it not stain your teeth?! That’s all I can picture! LOL!
This is absolutely stunning! I’m so excited to try the very black icing with the sparkle stars!
Your cakes are all so gorgeous. I’m really in awe of your skills.
These pictures taking my breath away !! Divine !!! Love your cakes & recipes !!
I…I think I could cry.
Black cake?
Metallic sprinkles that actually look metal?
These are possible?!
Thank you for opening my eyes! I’d love to make a cake like this sometime.
I am in love with all the colors you use in all of your cakes!
Got almost all ingredients, got the great sprinkles, and my daughter arrives in about 6 weeks!
All I can think of is the horror show that will be your poop for days after eating this, and I just can’t. ..
great Article!
WOW! Simply gorgeous…..such a stunning creation!
Bought all the ingredients for my daughter & I to make this cake for our birthday. When using a recipe for the 1st time, I’m very careful to follow all the instructions to the letter and make no ingredient substitutions. FTR, both my daughter and I are experienced (although not professional) bakers.
The cake layers were fine. The purple frosting was okay, too.
For the black frosting, we used the stand mixer instructions. We couldn’t afford the 5 lb. tub of Guittard Black Cocoa, so used the Black Cocoa sold by King Arthur. For the melted chocolate, we used Callebaut Dark Chocolate callets (60.3%). We also used the AmeriColor Super Black paste color. Despite starting with the 1/2 tsp of Super Black color as the recipe suggests, and even allowing the frosting to hydrate for well over 1/2 hour, it looked more of a gunmetal grey. We added more, and let it sit. After approx. 2 hours of adding, blending, and sitting, it never got any darker than a dusty gunmetal grey color (which, to be perfectly honest, is terribly unappetizing). Not even close to what is depicted in the picture. It may very well be you, Rosie, were able to achieve that black color because of your use of Guittard Black Cocoa, and perhaps other black cocoa powders don’t work to achieve that depth of black? I don’t know. But my daughter and I were so excited to make this cake and spent many $ and hours trying to create it to have the results be so disappointing!
I would honestly be interested in hearing some feedback from others who have attempted this cake (there were so many positive responses to the posting of the recipe surely I can’t be the only one to have attempted it) – especially those who used cocoa powder other than the Guittard.
If, in fact, the Black Frosting part of the recipe only works when using brand-specific ingredients, it would be nice to know and have it noted in the recipe (not to mention, might save other bakers some time and $).
Very sad.
Same exact thing happened to me. So unfortunate, expensive, and time-consuming. I even used the exact Guittard cocoa powder, and added an additional tsp of black gel paste. I’m sad.
I am having the same issue. I used the King Arthur black cocoa powder as I couldn’t find the Guittard anywhere (except in red cocoa version). I was hoping to use this for Halloween cupcakes, but considering what it looks like right now, I can’t imagine it even being able to make it to the beautiful color in this post. I have added about 2 tsp of Super Black food coloring. I have gone over the recipe many times to make sure I didn’t miss anything. It tastes great, though. Thankfully this was a test run to see how it turned out. I’m still disappointed because I don’t know what I did wrong. :(
I have made the frosting both in the food processor and the stand mixer – there is a HUGE difference in color when you do. The texture is less “whipped” as well – which is a very nice change of pace. Skip the mixer and only use the processor. Maybe it just incorporates the color better? That’d be my guess. You will be so pleased with the color and texture when you do…
I have this in the oven at the moment. But I was confused about the amount of cocoa powder for the cake. 3/4 cup + 1tbs or 100g. I weighed out 100g and it was at least 1 1/2 cups of cocoa. I didn’t have the black cocoa, it was the darkest and best quality I could find, but would there be such a difference in the weight? I didn’t know which one to go with but I ended up putting in the 100g.
Where can I purchase the sprinkles
black fondant frosting is just wonderful. I love this cake and its decoration.
Wow!!! Yep that about sums it up!!!!! What awesome colour. You have a great blog too xx
For anyone else thinking their grams and cups don’t match, I hope this helps!
I, too, am about to make this recipe. My scale kept giving me the same issue: the cups would be right but the grams would not even be close or vice versa. After googling, I figured out US cups, which I assume you’re using like I am, are *different* than metric cups. The following example is for the flour:
1 US cup = 125 or 128 g (depends on the website.)
1 Metric cup = 132.09 g
This means the 2 1/3 US cups will equal 291.25g, while 2 1/3 Metric cups equals 308.21g.
i linked the website I used for conversions below. Do NOT use the “Converters for Cooking” buttons/links. Scroll down the page and use the links under “Conversion of measures of ingredients amounts:
weight, volume, Fahrenheit F to Celsius C, flour,…”
I hope this helps anybody who decides to make this!
http://www.traditionaloven.com/tutorials/conversion.html
Wow that is one gorgeous cake! The black and purple just pow pow! The sprinkles ahhh!
WOW these look incredible I’m drooling over this delicious cake
lovely cake
Hi Rosie,
What size food processor do you use for making the frosting?
Thank you
What size is the cake stand
Hi!
So ive been admiring this cake for a while now, wanting to attempt it. And i think ill turn it into a halloween party. Because of timing, i was wondering if this cake freezes well? or how far ahead of time could i bake the sponge layers?
Thanks :)
Wow awesome job! Artfully done and totally GLAM!
Your cake is gorgeous and I adore your sprinkles. Attempted this cake today and the frosting is super delicious! However, mine was way too runny. I ended up almost doubling the amount of powdered sugar and it still barely thickened. So, my sprinkles fell off and the peaks at the top won’t hold. I’ve no idea what could’ve happened. And for the color, I ended up using almost an entire jar (1 oz) of Wilton’s black and the color was pretty close. I was supposed to be taking the cake to a gathering this evening, but I’m embarrassed with the turnout, so home it stays. One sad mom here, disappointed girls and a slightly lighter wallet. Not blaming you, just wondering what would possibly cause the icing to be so soft. I’ve never had this issue before. I will try again though.
This cake is gorgeous in the pictures, but I too, had issues when making it. I’ve made a ton from the recipes on this website and this is the first one I had issues with. My black icing is sooo runny– I’m not sure what I did wrong. Bummed out it didn’t turn out as awesome.
So, black cocoa is not something one can find for love nor money in Australia, and my deadline does not allow for international shipping. I do have dutch processed cocoa, which is pretty dark in and of itself, but not black, and the black cake layers look amazing. Should I add any black colour to the cake as well the frosting? Or just accept that it will just be dark brown layers with black icing…?
Hi Cat,
I’m also in Australia and attempting this next week. How did the Dutch processed cocoa go with the black frosting? I have everything else but reading people has issues getting their frosting black?
I was wondering how much your bulk bags of glam rock glitter sprinkles are and when you will be getting more in stock?
thanks..
Love, love, LOVE!
I made this cake for a birthday this weekend.
-It is delicious and everyone loved it!
-It is a very high cake so be prepared if you have to transport it. (7.5 inches with the poofs!)
-I used all the ingredients used by Rosie, including the Guittard black cocoa powder but used much more black gel and even some Roxy and Rich color powder because I was not convinced it would turn black. I managed to get a solid black. I even put some black gel in the cake batter… No bitter taste.
-It is a very stunning cake!!!
Maybe it just incorporates the color better? That’d be my guess. You will be so pleased with the color and texture when you do…
Hello, This cake is GORGEOUS! I was wondering if it could be done into cupcakes? If so how many do you think it would make and how long to cook them for? Thanks
Hi Rosie,
THIS CAKE IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What size cake stand did you use?
I made just the cake it was amazing! So moist and delicious. I haven’t tried the frosting, I always find black frosting leaves colour in the mouth, might be the brand. Will try it another time. Love this cake and will be making another one today. Used the guittard black cocoa, I splurged since I’ve been wanting to use the cocoa for a long time. Thanks so much for the recipe.
I made this cake for my birthday, as well as using the recipe to make cupcakes. Def the most delicious chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever made!! I used Vosges Chocolates Coconut Ash & Banana for the icing.
And I ordered several of the sprinkles, including the glam rock and the silver stars. Love them!!!
Wish I could add a pic here to show the results. I was so pleased with the way the cake and the cupcakes turned out. Thanks for posting this recipe!!!
Hi There, Does the cake recipe make 4×6 inch cakes or that is for one and make it 4 times?
Thanks!
On elder brother birthday i ordered Ranibow cake, it was well decorated and had 7 different color/flavor, so I was saying rainbow cake is best, but today change my mind, now I think I will try Glam Rock Layer Cake may be for new year party or in February my anniversary month.
Rosie, it is awesome!!
I made this cake for my daughters Jem(ma) and The Holograms Bday party this weekend! It was GORGEOUS!!!! I followed the recipes exactly except I used the suggested black cocoa via the Amazon link posted. I also used a food processor vs the mixer for the black frosting. I used the weight measurement for all the ingredients. I made 1.5 recipe as I wanted to use 8” pans and still wanted the tall look of the cake. This yielded me 5, 8” layers and I froze one, using only 4 for the cake. You could also make cupcakes with extra.
My black frosting was also a little thin, but it was perfectly dark and black using only the tsp of Americolor. I just went with the runny-ness. I did a thin crumb coat (messy) and threw it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to see if it would firm up. It did. I ended up doing about 3 coats total and by the last coat the frosting itself had firmed up a tad and wasn’t quite so messy. I was able to get a nice smooth and glossy exterior. It is beautiful. Next time I may let the frosting sit awhile before icing my cake. Or put it in the fridge for just a few minutes first. When I went to pipe the “poof” top border, I did not need to warm the frosting at all, it was still a tad thin and my poofs were not as tall bc of this. However it looked amazing and unless you’ve seen the pic, no one would know the difference.
The cake is seriously breath taking with the darkness and amazing sprinkles! I ordered the Silver Metallic Rods from Sweetapolita and mixed the rest myself out of a huge collection I already had on hand. SO may oooohs and ahhhhs from the guests. Once it was cut, there was more excitement from the purple interior! I don’t think anyone expected it to taste as amazing as it did. It is to die for! The cake crumb was perfect and moist, the vanilla frosting fluffy and that black frosting is DELISH!!! Everyone wanted more to take home!
Thank you for sharing your recipe and making my daughters party OVER THE TOP! If anyone wants to see a picture so they know that this recipe does work, I’d be happy to share…let me know.
Hi!!! I’m just wondering – what does the addition of hot water to the black frosting do??
Best,
Alysha
This would be a perfect cake for Halloween.
I have read through all the comments as I have made the cake and it was delicious. I had used a different frosting. I am now about to make 200 mini cupcakes for an event so did a trial run on the your Black Frosting which I plan on using but I did run into the runny consistency. I made one half the recipe to try it out in case I ran into any problems. Since I have to make so many cupcakes I am wondering if you could get back to me regarding the runny consistency. I used my mixer to make the frosting. I wanted to add more powder sugar but didn’t as it might change the shine. Thanks in advance for any advice you could give me.
Can the Glam Rock Cake be used for mini cupcakes? I loved the texture and wondered if this would work?
Thank you
Pam
I realize this post is relatively old, but in case anyone else was curious or skeptical, like I was…the key to getting the black frosting is to use the food processor. I went with the Kitchen Aid version first since that seemed more intuitive…grey, grey, grey and I added over a BOTTLE of Americolor Super Black. I read some responses here and decided to try a half batch in the food processor to see if it made any difference. It makes ALL the difference. I think with the Kitchen Aid version, there’s too much air whipped into the butter in the first step and you end up with alot of air in the frosting which dilutes the color so you can’t reach a true black. It may still work in the Kitchen Aid if you don’t whip the butter, but I definitely will be sticking to the food processor for this one. It’s easy and taste delicious and turned out perfectly. (I used KAF Black Cocoa and Ghiradelli 60% dark chocolate chips)