Brooklyn Blackout cake
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup hot strong brewed coffee
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1½ cups chocolate cake crumbs (reserved from cooled cake)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, hot coffee, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk until smooth batter forms, about 1 minute. Divide batter evenly between pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. Once cooled, crumble one cake layer into fine crumbs and reserve 1½ cups for coating.
- Make ganache filling: Heat cream and corn syrup in a saucepan to just under a boil. Pour over chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and let sit 1 minute. Whisk until smooth, then stir in butter until melted. Cool ganache to room temperature, about 20 minutes, until it reaches spreadable consistency.
- Place one intact cake layer on serving plate. Spread 1 cup ganache evenly over the layer, leaving ½-inch border from edge.
- Place second cake layer on top and press gently. Spread remaining ganache over top and sides of cake with offset spatula.
- While ganache is still tacky, press reserved chocolate cake crumbs firmly onto all exposed surfaces—top, sides, and edges—using your hands or a bench scraper. Work quickly while ganache is set but not hardened.
- Refrigerate cake for 30 minutes before serving to set the ganache. Serve at room temperature for best chocolate flavor and texture.
Inspired by Joe Murphy’s winning brooklyn blackout cake. This is a plausible recreation, not the chef’s original recipe.