Black Lambeth Cake
Double Chocolate Cake
Scroll to find recipe and step by step instructions.
Servings Size:
Around 4 6” cake layers
(Cake in picture: only used 3 of the 4 layers)
Measurements:
Chocolate Cake:
260g all purpose flour
400g sugar
30g regular cocoa powder
30g black cocoa/ special dark cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
240g warm/hot water
2 tsp espresso powder
240g buttermilk
110g vegetable oil
1tbsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tsp white vinegar
Black Chocolate Buttercream:
6 sticks salted butter
Around 3/4 cup Crisco shortening
1470g powdered sugar (245g/2cups per stick of butter)
about 1/2-3/4 cup black cocoa (helps get frosting to rich black color)
2 tsp vanilla extract
Add half n half (or your milk preference) until frosting gets to soft peak
Black food coloring (preferably Wilton gel food coloring) (only use if cocoa powder didn’t get it black enough)
Why measure in grams?
If you ask any bakery how they measure, most will say they measure in grams. Measuring by weight is more reliable for desserts because some recipes don’t specify if you should pack your ingredients and do not take into account how different people measure their ingredients. A common mistake people make in measuring ingredients is when measuring brown sugar. Brown sugar is clumpier than normal sugar because it is mixed with molasses. 100 grams of white sugar is equivalent to 100 grams of packed brown sugar—though most people don’t pack their brown sugar the same way, so you will most likely not get the same measurement unless using a scale.
Food scales are such an amazing and cheap investment to make for your kitchen because they will allow you to copy recipes perfectly because they are far more reliable and allow you to not use as many dishes! Click here to order a food scale!
How to make desserts black?
I am in no way being sponsored, but this product is a game changer. The ultimate secret to getting darker desserts is by using black cocoa powder. You can also use dutch processed or special dark cocoa powder, though it just doesn’t compare to the rich color you get when using black cocoa.
Substitutes for milk?
There are several milk substitutes, but you it depends primarily on what you are trying to use the milk for. Some easy substitutes are equal amounts of heavy cream, light cream, half n half (half milk, half heavy cream), or 1 cup plant based milk (almond, coconut, oat, etc.) mixed with 2 tbsp butter (real or plant based).
Most recipes use heavy cream for the point of it whipping up—so using any of the other alternative substitutes won’t work. Light cream, half n half, most plant based milks, and whole milk won’t whip up to a whipped cream texture, so heavy cream is a must-have.
For chocolate ganache, most of the substitutes will work perfectly fine, though it is good to know that heavy cream will give the most light, airy, and thick final product and plant-based/whole milks will give the thinnest and denser product.
Buttercream Frosting
I will always recommend using buttercream frosting because it always has a perfect consistency and is the most simple to make (if you follow the recipe and instructions correctly). However, the texture and consistency of your buttercream frosting depends on your environment. Your frosting will not hold a design very well in warmer environments. It is necessary to keep desserts with buttercream frosting chilled while you are storing them to avoid the frosting melted off of your dessert or becoming too soft—losing the design.
A way to avoid losing the design in the heat, whipping the butter for a longer amount of time (maybe 8-10 minutes) before you add any other ingredient may help stabilize it. Adding more powdered sugar or lessening the amount of heavy cream/milk substitute you use will also aid in this issue. Some buttercream recipes require more milk substances such as heavy cream to give it a fluffier texture. If this is the case and you want to put this dessert in a warmer environment for whatever reason, do not use this recipe for your buttercream or remove most of the liquid and replace it with more butter and powdered sugar.
A key factor to getting stable and airy buttercream that is not too dense is whipping your butter before adding any other ingredients. I always allow my butter to reach a white color and double in size before I add anything. This will allow your buttercream to be more airy without creating unnecessary air pockets.
Step 1
Preheat oven to convection 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) into a big bowl and whisk till combined.
Step 2
In a separate bowl, add your hot water and espresso powder and mix.
Then add your buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla into the water and espresso mixture and mix. (doesn’t have to be fully combined)
Step 3
Add your wet ingredients mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk till combined.
Step 4
Once wet and dry ingredients are combined, add your 2 eggs and mix.
Lastly, add your white vinegar and mix till combined.
Step 5
You can use any pan size you would like, but if you use 6” it will make 4-6 layers depending on how much you fill them!
Butter whatever pans you decide to use and then evenly distribute your batter among the pans!
Step 6
Bake your cakes at 350 until toothpick comes out clean! (No exact time because it will vary depending on pan size and oven type).
Step 7
While your cakes are baking and cooling, add your butter and shortening into a stand mixer and mix on medium-high speed until it becomes white and fluffy!
Step 8
Once mixture is white, turn mixer on low speed and slowly add your powdered sugar and black cocoa powder. (If it gets thick, add little increments of your milk preference)
Add your milk preference and vanilla extract until mixture becomes a soft peak, and if you need to, add your black food coloring until desired color.
If you use black cocoa powder, let frosting sit for a little bit to help enhance the black color before you decide if you need to add black food coloring.
Step 9
Once cakes are cooled, you can begin to stack your cake layers and decorate!