Description
Brooklyn Blackout Cake is a rich, decadent chocolate cake famous for its multi-layered structure filled with luscious chocolate pudding and topped with a silky chocolate frosting. This moist and intensely chocolatey cake is coated with cake crumbs for an irresistible texture contrast, making it a perfect dessert for chocolate lovers.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot brewed coffee
Chocolate Pudding Filling
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting
- 8 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper to ensure easy cake release.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to combine and aerate the mixture.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and uniform.
- Blend Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, gently mixing until just combined to avoid overmixing.
- Add Coffee: Stir in the hot brewed coffee until the batter is smooth and slightly thin in consistency, which helps create a moist cake.
- Divide Batter: Pour the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans to ensure even baking.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, indicating doneness.
- Cool Cakes: Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Prepare Pudding Filling: In a saucepan, whisk together milk, sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt until smooth to avoid lumps.
- Cook Pudding: Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, forming a smooth pudding.
- Add Chocolate and Vanilla: Remove from heat and stir in finely chopped semisweet chocolate and vanilla extract until fully melted and incorporated.
- Chill Pudding: Transfer pudding to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface to prevent skin, and refrigerate until completely chilled.
- Make Chocolate Frosting – Heat Cream Mixture: Place chopped semisweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream and corn syrup over medium heat until it simmers gently.
- Combine Cream and Chocolate: Pour the hot cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes to soften the chocolate.
- Mix Frosting: Stir until the mixture is smooth and glossy, then add vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- Cool Frosting: Let the frosting cool, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a spreadable consistency suitable for frosting the cake.
- Level Cakes: If necessary, use a serrated knife to level the tops of the cakes for even layering.
- Slice Cake Layers: Cut each cooled cake horizontally into two equal layers, creating four layers total.
- Reserve Cake Crumbs: Reserve one cake layer and crumble it finely to use as the cake coating later.
- Assemble Cake – First Layers: Place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread one-third of the chilled chocolate pudding evenly over it.
- Repeat Layering: Repeat the layering process with two more cake layers, spreading pudding between each layer for a moist interior.
- Top Layer: Place the final cake layer on top without pudding.
- Frost Cake: Use the prepared chocolate frosting to coat the top and sides of the assembled cake smoothly and evenly.
- Apply Cake Crumbs: Press the reserved crumbled cake layer onto the frosted cake to create the signature crumb coating.
- Chill Cake: Refrigerate the fully assembled cake for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld and frosting to set.
- Serve: Slice the cake and enjoy this rich, chocolatey dessert masterpiece.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for better batter integration and texture.
- Hot coffee enhances the chocolate flavor and keeps the cake moist.
- Make sure pudding is fully chilled before assembling to prevent melting the frosting.
- Reserve cake crumbs for the coating to add texture and to hide any imperfections in frosting.
- Refrigerate cake after assembling to help set layers and improve slicing.
- Use a serrated knife and gentle sawing motion when layering and slicing to prevent crumbling.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
