This Brooklyn Blackout Cake has layers of soft chocolate cake, silky chocolate pudding filling, surrounded by chocolate fudge frosting topped with chocolate crumbs. It's decadence on a fork. If that wasn’t enough, it’s gluten free, nut free, eggless and easily vegan! If you're a chocoholic, this is the cake for you!!!
In a small bowl, using a spoon, combine the 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and the 3 tablespoons of cold water until smooth. It will be thick and tacky at first. Set aside.
Boil 2 cups of water (you can do this in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup as well).
Over low heat on the stovetop, place the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder in a pan and pour in the boiling hot water. Whisk to combine.
Add the ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and the 1 ounce of chocolate chips, continue whisking to combine.
Whisk in the cornstarch water mixture. Add the ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and bring to a boil, whisking the entire time. You should see it thickening. If not, increase your heat slightly but be careful not to burn. Let it boil for about a minute, whisking the entire time.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and the 2 tablespoons butter or vegan baking stick.
Leave the pan on a cutting board on the counter, whisking periodically until the pudding has cooled significantly. Then transfer to a heat safe bowl and refrigerate. You want the pudding thick and cool when you assemble the cake. Make sure the pudding is made ahead of time and is cold from being in the fridge.
Make the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 inch round cake pans with vegetable oil, line bottoms with parchment paper and then grease the parchment paper with vegetable oil as well.
Whisk the 1.5 cups gluten free flour, 1.5 cups of granulated sugar, ¾ cup cocoa powder, 1.5 teaspoons baking soda, ¾ teaspoon baking powder and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl until combined and lump free.
Measure 1 cup of milk into a measuring cup. Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into the milk and stir with a spoon. Let it sit for 5-10 min and stir again. It should look slightly chunky. That’s normal.
In a separate small bowl, combine the 4 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch and 6 tablespoons of water and mix together with a spoon until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first. Set aside.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the cornstarch water mixture, milk and vinegar mixture, 1 cup warm water, 4 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. If it starts to get too thick, use a spatula to mix the rest.
Divide the batter evenly between the two greased cake pans.
Bake the cakes for about 47-50 min in the center rack of the oven or until the cakes spring back at you when carefully touched.
Let cool completely in the cake pans. Turn out from pans, and place on cooling racks.
Once they're cool, use a cake knife cut a thin layer off the tops of each layer to make the cakes level and flat on top.
Take the extra cake pieces and cut them into tiny crumbs. Set aside.
Make the Chocolate Frosting
In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the ¾ cup butter or vegan baking stick until smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes.
With the mixer on very low speed, slowly add in the 3.5 cups confectioners' sugar.
With the mixer on low speed still, add in the 1 cup of cocoa powder and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract .
While the mixer is on, slowly add in the ½ cup of water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. You may not need to use all the water.
Assembling the Cake
Place one layer of cake on the bottom of a cake plate/stand. Place some of the frosting in a pastry bag and pipe a ring around the top edge of the cake. This is to keep the pudding from oozing out.
Scoop about ¾ of the total amount of cold pudding into the center of the frosting ring.
Put the second cake layer on top, bottom side up so the top is nice and flat.
Use an icing spatula to frost a thin layer of the fudge frosting on the top of the cake and a thin layer on the sides. This is our crumb layer so the pudding doesn't ooze out.
Pop the entire cake in the fridge uncovered for 15-20 minutes. This will make it more stable to work with.
Take the cake out of the fridge and continue to frost. First frost the sides again and this time immediately press the chocolate cake crumbs into the wet frosting so they stick.
Frost the top of the cake. Press the crumbs into the top as well.
If desired, pipe extra frosting swirls around the top of the cake.
If not serving the cake right away, chill the cake again and take the cake out 15-20 min prior to serving.
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Notes
Vegan: Use a dairy free gluten free flour, vegan sugar, vegan baking sticks and non dairy milk and allergy friendly chocolate chips. All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 1 ½ cups packed AP flour (252 grams) and packed cups of cocoa powder (87 grams).Storing: Wrap extra slices in foil and place in a zip top bag in the fridge for up to 2 days. Leave out for an hour on the counter prior to serving. If you want to microwave a slice, do it in 5 second increments and be careful not to burn your mouth on hot pudding.I don't recommend freezing these slices. The pudding will make the cake layers very wet as it defrosts. Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.