Name: Black Onyx Cake with Vanilla Bean Paste Frosting
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: For cakes:; 3 cups milk; 3 Tbsp. lemon juice; 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened; 3 cups granulated sugar; 1/2 vanilla bean of choice*:; 5 eggs; 3 1/3 cups cups all-purpose flour; For frosting:; 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened; 4 cups confectioners’ sugar; 4 to 6 Tbsp. milk

Home | Recipes | Black Onyx Cake with Vanilla Bean Paste Frosting

Black Onyx Cake with Vanilla Bean Paste Frosting

Recipe by Elizabeth Bannas, daughter of Savory Spice—Sellwood/Portland, OR owners Jim & Anne Brown

All-Purpose Cooking

Baking

This recipe yields a silky-smooth, moist cake. The cake is not too sweet, which makes the vanilla frosting a perfect pairing. We highly recommend the optional addition of maple extract in the frosting and maple sugar for dusting the finished cake.

Jump to Recipe

Serves 12 servings

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cooking Time 40 minutes

Email Share

Black Onyx Cake with Vanilla Bean Paste Frosting

Ingredients

For cakes: 3 cups milk 3 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 3 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp. Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste, OR

1/2 vanilla bean of choice*: Madagascar Vanilla Bean Mexican Vanilla Bean Ugandan Vanilla Bean 5 eggs 3 1/3 cups cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. Mayan Sea Salt

3/4 cup Black Onyx Cocoa Powder

1/2 cup Dutch Cocoa Powder For frosting: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 4 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tsp. Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste

1/2 tsp. Natural Maple Extract (optional)

4 to 6 Tbsp. milk

1 Tbsp. Pure Maple Sugar (optional)

Madagascar Vanilla Beans

Mexican Vanilla Beans

Ugandan Vanilla Beans

Dutched Cocoa Powder

Directions

Step 1 For cakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix milk with lemon juice and set aside; after 10 min. this mixture curdles/thickens into the equivalent of buttermilk. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste with an electric mixer until evenly blended. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl and gradually add to butter mixture until combined. Add milk/lemon mixture until combined. Gradually increase speed to high and beat for 3 min., stopping to scrape sides of bowl as needed. Pour batter into 2 greased Bundt or cake pans and bake for 35 to 40 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cakes completely before turning out and frosting.

Step 2 For frosting: Beat butter, sugar, vanilla bean paste and maple extract (if using) with an electric mixer until evenly blended. Gradually add milk 1 Tbsp. at a time until desired consistency is reached. Less milk yields a spreadable frosting and more milk yields a pourable glaze. Frost cooled cakes and sprinkle with maple sugar (if using).

Recipe Notes

*To use vanilla beans: split beans in half lengthwise and scrape seeds out from pod with the back of a knife. Use empty pods to make homemade vanilla extract or flavor homemade vanilla sugar.

This recipe makes 2 (9- to 10-inch) Bundt cakes or round cakes for stacking. If using a round cake pan, make sure it has tall sides as the batter is thin and can overflow in a smaller cake pan.