Black Frosting Recipe + Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake

Finding the right Black Frosting Recipe can be tricky. Most recipes call for WAY too much black food coloring which will turn your mouth black and won’t taste very good. Or it doesn’t turn out black at all– just a bland, ugly gray instead.

Looking for the perfect black frosting recipe? Look no further! This recipe is easy to follow and produces a delicious, jet-black frosting that will make your cake look out of this world! Galaxy geode cakes are all the rage right now, and with this frosting recipe, you can create one yourself in no time.

When I made this Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake, I found the PERFECT recipe for black frosting. It won’t change the color of your mouth, tastes delicious, and is a deep, dark black color.

Black Frosting Recipe + Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake

Here’s What I used to Make this Cake:

Black Frosting Recipe + Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake
  • the black frosting recipe in this post
  • vanilla buttercream for the filling
  • a white cake recipe (I actually adapted this crazy cake recipe for three 8-inch layers)
  • food coloring (purple, turquoise, pink, and black)
  • silver edible paint
  • sprinkles: black sanding sugar sprinkles, silver stars, and gold stars
  • disco dust
  • purple rock candy

Black Frosting Ingredients

Black Frosting Recipe + Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake
  • 2 cups butter, softened
  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup DARK chocolate cocoa powder (or premium black cocoa powder)
  • 3/4 cup hot water
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces dark chocolate
  • 2-3 tsp black gel food coloring

How to Make this Black Frosting Recipe

Black Frosting Recipe + Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake

1. In a stand mixer, beat the butter with a paddle attachment for 2 minutes.

2. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the hot water and the cocoa powder. It will form a thick paste. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, melt the chocolate chips. Let cool slightly before mixing the chocolate into the butter. Beat on medium-high speed and scrape down the sides as needed.

4. Add the chocolate paste, vanilla, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Mix well, scraping down the sides as needed.

5. Gradually mix in the rest of the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides as needed.

6. Mix in the black food coloring. Note: IT WILL NOT LOOK SOLID BLACK YET. The color will need to develop over a few hours, so cover the bowl and let it rest.

General Steps to Make Galaxy Geode Cake

I didn’t have the time to take step-by-step photos or make a video for an in-depth tutorial for this cake, but I’m going to list the general steps here and do my best to highlight the steps in the photos below.

Black Frosting Recipe + Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake

1. Bake three 8-inch round cakes, and let cool completely.

2. Reserve 1/2 cup of frosting. Fill the cake layers with remaining vanilla frosting and cover with a crumb coat. Chill the cake in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

3. Color 1/4 of the reserved frosting with purple. Divide the remaining frosting into two bowls and color them with the turquoise and the pink colorings. Cover the bowls and set aside.

4. Frost the cake with the black frosting. The video below shows step-by-step beginner instructions for frosting a cake and getting smooth edges. 

 

Add small “globs” of pink, purple, and turquoise frosting around the cake before smoothing to create a “galaxy” look.

Black Frosting Recipe + Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake

5. Cut a gash in the cake. It doesn’t have to be perfect!

Black Frosting Recipe + Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake

6. Spread purple frosting inside the gash. Gently press rock candy pieces into the purple frosting. Food tweezers help!

7. Paint the edges of the rock candy with the silver edible paint.

Black Frosting Recipe + Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake

8. Splatter silver paint all over the cake. Add star sprinkles and disco dust.

With this black frosting recipe, you can create a delicious and impressive galaxy geode cake that will wow your friends and family. Be sure to mix the frosting well after adding the cocoa powder, and adjust the consistency as needed depending on what type of cake you are using it for. Happy baking! 🙂

Black Frosting Tips:

  • The frosting recipe above will work for most cakes, but you may need to adjust the amount of milk depending on the consistency you are going for. If you want a thicker frosting, add less milk. For a looser frosting, add more milk.
  • Be sure to mix the frosting well after adding the cocoa powder. This will help to prevent any clumps from forming.
  • Frost your cake using a piping bag and tip of your choice, or simply use a butter knife to spread it on. Enjoy! 🙂

Geode Cake Tips:

  • For a galaxy geode cake, we recommend using a light blue frosting as the “sky” and adding different shades of purple, pink, and white frosting for the stars. You can either use store-bought frosting or make your own with our recipe below.
  • To create the effect of a real geode, use a variety of different colored frostings and sprinkles to decorate your cake.
  • To make the stars on your galaxy geode cake, we recommend using a star-shaped piping tip. You can find this tip at most craft stores or online.
Black Frosting Recipe + Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake

Black Frosting Recipe

Yield: 16 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 3 seconds
Total Time: 20 minutes 3 seconds

When I made this Galaxy Geode Birthday Cake, I found the PERFECT recipe for black frosting. It won't change the color of your mouth, tastes delicious, and is a deep, dark black color.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups butter, softened
  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup DARK chocolate cocoa powder (or premium black cocoa powder)
  • 3/4 cup hot water
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces dark chocolate
  • 2-3 tsp black gel food coloring

Instructions

  1. In a stand mixer, beat the butter with a paddle attachment for 2 minutes.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the hot water and the cocoa powder. It will form a thick paste. Set aside.
  3. In another bowl, melt the chocolate chips. Let cool slightly before mixing the chocolate into the butter. Beat on medium-high speed and scrape down the sides as needed.
  4. Add the chocolate paste, vanilla, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Mix well, scraping down the sides as needed.
  5. Gradually mix in the rest of the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides as needed.
  6. Mix in the black food coloring. Note: IT WILL NOT LOOK SOLID BLACK YET. The color will need to develop over a few hours, so cover the bowl and let it rest.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 495Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 190mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 2gSugar: 47gProtein: 2g
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