Receta Blackout Cake...
Countdown to the Eclipse, T-minus 13.5 hours...at least for us in the Northwest. The mister and I will stay put in Seattle, we're willing to settle for a 92% eclipse...we're not crazy enough to drive South to Oregon in search of that 100% version...so while we might not have totality...we will have Blackout Cake. B L A C K O U T C A K E. Get it?? Blackout like the eclipse...this cake is the definition of totality if you ask me! Ebinger's, a lost-but-not-forgotten Brooklyn bakery, made their original version of this cake famous. This recipe from King Arthur Flour is based on the spirit of Blackout Cake and it includes Ebinger's trademark cake-crumb coating. While this recipe is not Ebinger's, it's said to be close, and all I can tell you is you need this cake in your life, and not just to eat once in a blue moon during an eclipse, but on any occasion when you want to push the boundaries of a sugar coma with three different kinds of chocolate. As you know, the mister is a dessert racist, as he will only eat white-ish desserts...he does not eat chocolate but since I was fresh out of coconut cream pie and banana cream pie and lemon cream pie and every other cream pie, he was forced to eat a slice of this cake. Actually, he was forced to take one bite, but after that, the other 15 or so bites he took were done of his own free will and in record time!
This is actually the second time I have made a version of Ebinger's Blackout Cake. The first time I used Molly O'Niell's recipe, you can find that recipe here. I wrote a post about it in 2010 and while it was very, very yummy (even though I burned the cake) it was not very much like an Ebinger's cake...it didn't have the filling, the crumb coating or the ganache icing! While I have made Molly O'Niell's recipe many times over the years, because it's a dang fine cake, too, if you want something closer to the real thing, this is the recipe to use...at least for Totality's sake!
There are 3 parts to this delectable cake...the filling, shown above, which needs to be made first so it can set and when it is set it's dense enough to hold up the top cake layer yet it's mousse-like texture will melt faster in your mouth than a full lunar eclipse lasts!
The second part of this cake is the cake itself. It's rich...as one of my friends like to say, "Lottery rich," as in the kind of deliciousness that only one with lottery $$$ can afford to buy...moist, decadent...rich. This cake can stand on it's own, without frosting or filling, it's dang fine tasting...but if you're planning to serve it for say, oh I don't know, a once-in-a-life-time-event like an Eclipse Party, then don't be ridiculous and skip the frosting OR the filling...this is the only cake that can compete with a lunar blackout!
The frosting isn't really frosting at all - it's a chocolate ganache that pours over the top of the cake and drips down...and here's some good news, no protective eye-wear is needed to watch the ganache - feel free to stare right at every single drop!
Once the cake is covered in ganache, cake crumbs, reserved from the top of the cake, are pressed all over the top and sides...it's astronomical in taste...out of this world even...definitely a cake worthy of a lunar eclipse!
Blackout Cake - Adapted From King Arthur Flour
For the Filling: Make the filling first as it needs time to set, at least 3 hours in the fridge but preferably overnight.
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder, optional; but it does greatly enhance the flavor
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 to 2 tablespoons liqueur, like Kahlua
For the Cake:
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups water
For the Icing:
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
To make filling: Place the chocolate chips, salt, sugar and espresso powder in a blender or food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the egg and pulse just until the mixture is smooth. Heat the cream to just below a boil, with small bubbles forming around the edge of the saucepan (or you can heat in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl). Turn on the blender or processor, and slowly add the cream. Scrape down the sides of the container if necessary. Add the vanilla, or liqueur of your choice, and pulse to blend. Pour the pudding into a shallow bowl, and refrigerate it until chilled and thickened, 3 hours to overnight.
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 8x2-inch cake pans. Line them with 8" parchment circles, and grease the parchment; this will ensure your cake's crumble-free turnout from the pan. (If you normally use cake strips, to help bake cakes evenly without the rise in the center, don't! You want your cake to puff up in the center, this part will be cut of later and will be used at the crumb coating.)
Whisk together the dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl. Stir int he water; the batter will be thin. Pour the batter into the two prepared pans. Bake the cakes for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven. Cool them for 15 minutes in the pans, then turn them out of the pans to cool completely on a rack.
To make the icing: Combine the cream and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan. Heat until the cream is steaming and showing small bubbles around the edge. Remove the chocolate/cream from the microwave or burner, and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture becomes completely smooth, with no lighter areas remaining visible. Refrigerate the icing for 30 minutes. Beat the chilled icing briefly, until it thickens a bit and becomes spreadable.
To assemble the cake: Cut the domed tops off both cake layers; these will become your crumb coating. Place one layer on a serving plate. Top the cake with the filling, spreading it evenly to the edges. Center the second layer of cake atop the filling, press down gently. Top the cake with the second layer, centering over the filling. Spread/pour the icing over the top and onto the sides of the cake. Crumble the reserved cake (cut from the top after baking) and gently press it onto the top and sides of the assembled cake.
Serve immediately or within a couple of hours. For longer storage, wrap completely in plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator. This cake is best served the same day it's made, or within 24 hours. Freeze, well-wrapped, for longer storage. You may also choose to freeze individual slices - for those times when you HAVE to have a piece of chocolate cake!
Make a two layer 8-inch cake that serves 8 to 10. Don't let the ingredients or directions scare you - it's an easy and fast cake to make - as is the filing - just allow enough time for it to set!