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Bring a taste of Brooklyn to your home with this over-the-top chocolate cake that's got an amazingly soft texture and creamy whipped ganache. This easier version of the famous blackout cake packs tons of chocolate goodness without any fancy techniques or weird ingredients you can't find.
I've tried over twenty chocolate cake recipes, and this one always gives the best results without much work. The whipped ganache turns into this fluffy topping that's way easier to handle than regular buttercream.
Key Components:
- Good cocoa powder - Dutch-processed gives you darker color and better taste
- Brown sugar - makes it juicier with hints of caramel
- Sour cream - keeps everything soft and moist
- Chocolate bars - don't use chips if you want smooth ganache
- Hot coffee - makes chocolate taste better without adding coffee flavor
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Nail Your Ganache
- Cut chocolate into small same-sized bits for better melting
- Warm cream until it steams - if it bubbles, it's too hot
- Don't touch the chocolate at first after adding cream
- Let it cool on the counter, checking how thick it gets
- Mix Your Batter Right
- Stir cocoa in hot liquid until it's completely smooth
- Beat wet stuff until it looks uniform
- Mix in dry ingredients softly to keep cake tender
- Bang pan on counter to get air bubbles out
- Bake It Just Right
- Put rack in middle of your oven
- Turn pan around halfway through baking
- Look for cake pulling away from pan sides
- Stick toothpick in several spots to check if it's done
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My grandma always put a tiny bit of espresso powder in her chocolate cake to make the chocolate taste stronger - I've done the same thing here and it works great.
Picking The Right Chocolate:
After baking for years, I've found that chocolate quality really changes how your cake turns out. I like using chocolate with 60-70% cacao because it's got the right mix of sweetness and strong chocolate flavor.
Getting Temperatures Right:
When I worked as a pastry chef, I learned that chocolate is all about getting the heat just right. Your ganache should be cool enough to hold shape but warm enough to spread easily.
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This Brooklyn Blackout Cake has become the dessert I'm known for. The mix of rich chocolate flavor with that cloud-soft whipped ganache makes a dessert people won't forget and always want the directions for.
How To Nail Whipped Ganache
After making tons of batches, I found that the trick to amazing whipped ganache is all about when you whip it. It needs to cool until it makes a soft peak when you lift your spoon - usually after sitting out for about 30 minutes. This gives you frosting that goes on smooth and sets with a nice shine.
Choosing Your Chocolate
Chocolate with 60-70% cacao gives the best balance. You can use regular grocery store brands, but trying better ones like Ghirardelli or Guittard really takes the cake up a notch. I figured this out during a chocolate tasting class that completely changed my baking.
Making It Ahead Of Time
This cake actually tastes better the next day as the flavors get stronger. You can wrap the unfrosted cake tight and freeze it up to 3 months. For parties, I often bake the cake way before, freeze it, then thaw and frost it right before serving.
All About Cocoa Powder
Dutch-processed cocoa makes things darker with a smoother taste, while regular cocoa has more fruity notes. Both work great in this cake - I've tried lots of times with each type while coming up with this recipe. Regular cocoa works really well with the coffee in the mix.
Fixing Common Problems
Knowing some cake science helps avoid issues. If your cake sinks in the middle, check if your baking powder is fresh and your oven heat is right. If it's too dense, make sure your ingredients weren't cold and you didn't mix too much. I learned all this from teaching baking classes for years.
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Final Kitchen Thoughts:
Check your oven with another thermometer
Try using light metal pans for more even baking
Keep at room temp under a cake cover
This Brooklyn Blackout Cake shows off chocolate baking at its best - amazing flavor without too much fuss. After tweaking it for years, it's become the chocolate cake everyone asks me for, showing that sometimes the easiest approach gives the most wow-worthy results.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → Can I use chips instead of chocolate bars?
- Bars melt better. Chips have stabilizers that can mess with the texture.
- → What’s the point of adding coffee?
- Coffee boosts the chocolate flavor but won’t make it taste like coffee. You can use hot water instead.
- → How far in advance can I bake this?
- It’ll stay fresh for 3 days on the counter or 5 days in the fridge.
- → Why do you whip the ganache?
- Whipping makes it lighter and fluffier, like mousse, and spreading gets way easier.
- → What if my ganache isn’t soft enough?
- Zap it in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until it’s spreadable.