The Black and Gold New Year’s Cake is a show-stopping dessert perfect for ushering in the new year with style and deliciousness. This recipe offers a sophisticated yet surprisingly easy way to create a visually stunning cake that tastes as good as it looks, making it an ideal centerpiece for any celebration.
Key Ingredients for Black and Gold New Year’s Cake
For the Cake Layers:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot brewed coffee
For the Black Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- ¼ cup milk or heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Black food coloring (gel paste is recommended for intense color)
For the Gold Decor:
- Edible gold luster dust
- Gold edible spray paint (optional)
- Edible gold sprinkles, stars, or glitter
How to Make Black and Gold New Year’s Cake
This Black and Gold New Year’s Cake is delightfully simple to prepare, promising a rich, moist crumb and an intensely chocolatey flavor. The velvety smooth buttercream frosting perfectly complements the decadent cake, creating a truly satisfying dessert. With just about 20 minutes of active prep time, you can whip up this impressive treat that’s sure to wow guests.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. You can also line the bottoms with parchment paper for easier removal.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Ensure everything is well combined and there are no lumps.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until thoroughly blended.
- Add Wet to Dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed with an electric mixer (or by hand) until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this stage.
- Incorporate Hot Coffee: Gradually add the hot brewed coffee to the batter while mixing on low speed. The batter will be thin, this is normal and contributes to the cake’s moistness. Mix until just smooth.
- Divide and Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the Cakes: Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10-15 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely. Ensure the cakes are entirely cool before frosting.
- Make the Black Buttercream: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add Dry Frosting Ingredients: Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and sifted cocoa powder to the butter, alternating with the milk or cream. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract.
- Achieve the Black Color: Add the black food coloring to the buttercream, bit by bit, until you achieve a deep, rich black color. You may need a significant amount of gel coloring to get a true black. Beat until the color is uniform.
- Assemble and Frost: Once the cakes are completely cool, place one cake layer on your serving platter. Spread a generous layer of the black buttercream frosting over the top.
- Add Second Layer and Frost Entire Cake: Carefully place the second cake layer on top. Frost the entire cake – the top and sides – with the remaining black buttercream, aiming for a smooth finish.
- Decorate with Gold: Now for the dazzling part! Lightly dust edible gold luster dust over the frosted cake to create a shimmering effect. If using, lightly spray areas of the cake with the edible gold spray paint for a metallic sheen. Finish by scattering edible gold sprinkles, stars, or glitter across the top and sides for a truly festive New Year’s look.
Why You’ll Love This Black and Gold New Year’s Cake
You’ll adore this Black and Gold New Year’s Cake for its dramatic visual appeal and its incredibly moist, deeply chocolatey flavor that’s sure to impress. Unlike a simple chocolate cake, this creation offers a sophisticated elegance with its striking monochrome palette elevated by glittering gold accents, making it feel truly special for a festive occasion. The cost-saving benefit of crafting this luxurious dessert at home allows you to enjoy a high-end cake experience without the hefty bakery price tag, proving that you don’t need to break the bank to celebrate in style.
The rich, velvety texture of the dark chocolate cake, paired with the smooth, decadent black buttercream, creates a symphony of flavors and sensations that are simply irresistible. It’s a delightful departure from lighter, more traditional New Year’s desserts, offering a bold statement that’s both delicious and visually arresting, akin to a perfectly crafted flourless chocolate torte but with more playful decoration. So why wait? Give your New Year’s celebration the sweet, sparkling send-off it deserves and try this Black and Gold New Year’s Cake today!
Storing and Reheating Tips
Properly storing your Black and Gold New Year’s Cake will ensure its deliciousness for days to come. Once cooled and frosted, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil, or place it in an airtight cake container. Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The butter-based frosting holds up well in the fridge.
When ready to serve, allow the cake to sit at room temperature for at least 30-60 minutes to soften the frosting and bring out the best flavor and texture of the cake. You can also freeze individual slices by wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and then placing them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 1-2 months. Thaw frozen slices at room temperature. Reheating individual slices is not generally recommended as it can dry out the cake, but a short microwave burst (5-10 seconds) might slightly soften a slice if desired.
Final Thoughts
This Black and Gold New Year’s Cake is a showstopper that’s surprisingly achievable for any home baker. Its visual flair and decadent chocolate flavor make it the perfect festive treat to ring in the new year. Gather your ingredients and prepare to dazzle your loved ones with this celebratory masterpiece!
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- Our Pinterest
Black and Gold New Year’s Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. You can also line the bottoms with parchment paper for easier removal.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Ensure everything is well combined and there are no lumps.2.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1.5 cups granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 0.5 teaspoon baking powder, 0.5 teaspoon salt, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until thoroughly blended.1 cup buttermilk, 0.5 cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed with an electric mixer (or by hand) until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this stage.
- Gradually add the hot brewed coffee to the batter while mixing on low speed. The batter will be thin, this is normal and contributes to the cake’s moistness. Mix until just smooth.1 cup hot brewed coffee
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10-15 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely. Ensure the cakes are entirely cool before frosting.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter
- Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and sifted cocoa powder to the butter, alternating with the milk or cream. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract.4 cups powdered sugar, 0.5 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 0.25 cup milk or heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the black food coloring to the buttercream, bit by bit, until you achieve a deep, rich black color. You may need a significant amount of gel coloring to get a true black. Beat until the color is uniform.black food coloring
- Once the cakes are completely cool, place one cake layer on your serving platter. Spread a generous layer of the black buttercream frosting over the top.
- Carefully place the second cake layer on top. Frost the entire cake – the top and sides – with the remaining black buttercream, aiming for a smooth finish.
- Now for the dazzling part! Lightly dust edible gold luster dust over the frosted cake to create a shimmering effect. If using, lightly spray areas of the cake with the edible gold spray paint for a metallic sheen. Finish by scattering edible gold sprinkles, stars, or glitter across the top and sides for a truly festive New Year’s look.edible gold luster dust, edible gold spray paint, edible gold sprinkles, stars, or glitter