Brooklyn Blackout Cake Recipe
The Brooklyn Blackout Cake Recipe, known for its rich, dark, and moist chocolate cake with fudgy chocolate frosting, has a fascinating history. It earned its name from the power outages in Brooklyn in the 1940s, making it a decadent dessert.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 140g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 100ml vegetable oil
- 100ml coffee, made with 1 tsp espresso powder
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250g light muscovado sugar
- 250g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 50g cocoa powder
For the custard filling and covering
- 250g golden caster sugar
- 500ml full-fat milk
- 140g chocolate, 85% cocoa solids, broken into cubes
- 2 tsp espresso powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the custard by combining all the ingredients (except the vanilla) in a large pan. Gently heat while whisking until you have a silky, thick custard, which takes about 5-7 minutes from cold. Stir in vanilla and a pinch of salt, then transfer the custard to a wide bowl. Cover with cling film, cool, and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours until cold and set.
- Start by preheating the oven to 180C (160C fan/gas 4) and preparing two 20cm sandwich tins by greasing and lining their bases. In a pan, melt the butter, then blend it with oil, buttermilk, coffee, and eggs. In a separate large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients along with 1/4 tsp of salt, skipping the sifting process, and make sure to crush any sugar lumps. Finally, combine the wet and dry ingredients, whisking until you achieve a smooth mixture.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes until the cakes rise and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center. Afterward, let them cool for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack with the parchment side down.
- Discard parchment linings from cakes. Flatten domed cakes. Slice each cake in half with a large serrated knife. Process the least successful layer and trimmings into crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Place one cake layer on a plate, spread with a quarter of the custard, add the next layer, and another quarter of custard. Top with the final cake layer. Spoon the remaining custard on top, spreading it smoothly. Chill for 15 mins to firm up the custard.
- To create a delectable masterpiece, hold the cake over the crumbs, generously sprinkle and press them onto the cake. Brush off any excess onto the plate. Chill for a minimum of 2 hours or, for an even more irresistible delight, prepare it up to 2 days in advance. The cake's texture becomes increasingly fudgy and alluring with time.
