Hi Reader,

Today I’m sharing a show-stopping cupcake that’s surprisingly simple: Black Velvet Cupcakes. They’re jet-black from black cocoa powder—no dye—with a deep, smooth chocolate flavor (think Oreo meets velvet cake). 🧡🖤

You can keep things elegant with a tall swirl of black cocoa frosting, or turn them into black cat cupcakes 🐱 for Halloween with a few candies and sprinkles.

Baker’s tips

Pour the batter from a spouted bowl for easy filling.
Fill liners 2/3–3/4 full so they don’t overflow and sink.
For frosting, a large open star tip makes those dramatic swirls.
Decorating as black cats? A little black sanding sugar, Reese’s Pieces, Hershey bar, and Halloween sprinkles do the trick. (I explain it all in the notes.)

What's Baking This Week

Fall Dinner Recipes

Bookmark this list if you're in a dinner rut. 🥘🥗

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

See short video here.

One reader says: "These turned out fantastic! Great way to use up extra pumpkin leftover from another recipe (pumpkin spice latte muffins from Sally’s new cookbook). I was originally going to do a simple glaze over the donuts but the brown sugar icing is worth the (minimal) extra steps. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"

Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausage

One reader says: "Absolutely loved these. Scrumptious and they freeze beautifully. About to have one for breakfast! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"

And another reader says: "I made these this morning fully expecting to freeze at least half, as there only are two of us. There are four left out of 16! Suffice it to say this recipe is a keeper. I subbed a little cinnamon for nutmeg. Fabulous recipe! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"

Easy Apple Turnovers

Use store-bought puff pastry or try the homemade version if you're up for a fun project!

Butter Pecan Cookies

One reader says: "This is second time to bake these cookies… my absolute favourite! Full of buttery goodness and with the toasted pecans these cookies are at another level. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"

And another reader says: "...this recipe OVER-delivered on my expectations. Toasted pecan halves according to instructions and chopped after. Made the cookies a bit larger (yielded 20), cooked for a little over 13 minutes and let cool on the cookie sheet for 10 before transferring to cooling rack. Was blown away by texture – crisp edges and soft center, and perfect amount of pecans in the dough. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"