Recipe: Blackout recipe

This is from "The Neighborhood Bakeshop" by Jill Van Cleave - a very good book. It is "an attempt to recreate the infamous black-out cake popularized by the legendary Ebinger's Bakery in Brooklyn." I was born in Brooklyn, and my grandfather used to walk me to Ebingers to get their black and whites. I haven't tried this recipe, but it sounds good.

Brooklyn Chocolate Decadence

Cake

2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temp.
2 tsps. vanilla extract
2 cups sour cream, room temp.

Pudding Frosting

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, cut up
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1-1/2 cups boiling water
4 tbsps unsalted butter, cut in 4 pieces, room temp.
1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and dust bottoms with flour.

2. For cake - sift flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in medium bowl - set aside.

3. Cream butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add eggs and vanilla, blending thoroughly. Slowly add flour mixture, alternating with sour cream, blending well after each addition.

4. Divide batter equally between cake pans - smooth with spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks 15 min., then unmold to cool completely.

5. Meanwhile, prepare pudding. Melt chocolate in a bowl over simmering water or in microwave at 50 percent power for 1 to 4 minutes, checking every 30 seconds. Whisk until smooth; set aside.

6. Combine sugar and conarstarch in a saucepan and whisk to mix thoroughly. While whisking, pour boiling water over mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, 5 to 7 minutes. Boil for 1 minute to thicken and remove pan from heat. Immediately whisk in melted chocolate. Add butter, allow it to melt, then stir in vanilla. Pour pudding into a bowl, cover top with a piece of waxed paper, and allow to cool completely at room temp.

7. To assemble, cut each cake in half horizontally to make 4 equal layers. Reserve 1 layer.

8. Place a layer on cake plate and cover with pudding. Add a second layer and spread with another coating of pudding. Top with third layer. Frost top and sides evenly with pudding. (Pudding frosting will look droopy at this stage.)

9. Crumble remaining layer of cake into crumbs - can use food processor. Generously sprinkle crumbs all over cake.

Yield - 8 to 10 servings

This sure sounds good - hope it helps.