All-Chocolate Blackout Cake from Ebinger's

Mirj's Note:

New Yorkers (especially Brooklynites) will wax nostaligic over this intensely chocolate cake. I remember having a piece as a little girl and I have never forgotten how wonderful and rich that little piece was. You will get a lot of utensils dirty making this cake, and it has a lot of preparation steps, but it is so worth it!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

Cake

• ½ cup unsweetened dutch cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 cup sweet butter , slightly softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs , separated
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Filling

• 1 tablespoon unsweetened dutch cocoa powder
• 1 ¾ teaspoons unsweetened dutch cocoa powder
• 2 cups boiling water
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate , chopped
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch , dissolved in
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons sweet butter

Frosting

• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate , chopped
• 12 tablespoons sweet butter
• ½ cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Butter and lightly flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
3. Make the cake: Place the cocoa in a small bowl and whisk in the boiling water to form a paste.
4. Combine the chocolate and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.
5. Stir frequently until the chocolate melts, about 3 minutes.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Whisk a small amount of the hot chocolate milk into the cocoa paste to warm it.
8. Whisk the cocoa mixture into the milk mixture.
9. Return the pan to medium heat an stir for 1 minute.
10. Remove and set aside to cool until tepid.
11. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together.
12. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, and add the vanilla.
13. Slowly stir in the chocolate mixture.
14. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
15. Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, slowly add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture.
16. Fold until just mixed.
17. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.
18. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
19. Divide the batter between the prepared pans.
20. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cakes comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
21. Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 15 minutes.
22. Gently remove the cakes from the pans and continue to cool.
23. While the cake is baking, make the filling: Combine the cocoa and boiling water in a small saucepan over low heat.
24. Stir in the sugar and chocolate.
25. Add the dissolved cornstarch paste and salt to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
26. Boil for 1 minute.
27. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and butter.
28. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cool.
29. Make the frosting: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot, not simmering, water, stirring until smooth.
30. Remove the top of the double boiler from the heat and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.
31. Return the top to the hat, if necessary, to melt the butter.
32. Whisk in the hot water all at once and whisk until smooth.
33. Whisk in the corn syrup and vanilla.
34. Cover and refrigerate for up to 15 minutes prior to using.
35. Assemble the cake: Use a sharp serrated knife to slice each cake layer horizontally in half to form 4 layers.
36. Set 1 layer aside.
37. Place 1 layer on a cake round or plate.
38. Generously swath the layer with 1/3 of the filling.
39. Add the second layer and repeat.
40. Set the third layer on top.
41. Quickly apply a layer of frosting to the top and the sides of the cake.
42. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
43. Meanwhile, crumble the remaining cake layer.
44. Apply the remaining frosting to the cake.
45. Sprinkle it liberally with the cake crumbs.
46. Serve the cake within 24 hours, store in a cool place.
47. Note: The filling ingredients make for a very runny filling, which is how a real Ebinger's cake should be.
48. For those who desire a less syrupy consistency, they can stir in an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.

Reviews

[yogi]

Everyone who loves chocolate has got to try this one!!! This is so chocolatey and delicious! The little bit of extra time it takes to make this is definitley worth it! The frosting is especially good. Made this exactly as stated except had to unexpectedly run out after the frosting was made, so I had it in the frig a lot longer than 15 minutes. When I got back it had hardened, so I microwaved it just long enough to soften to frosting consistency. I also used the 2 extra T.'s of cornstarch for the filling to make it more pudding-like.

[Chef #1337320]

What an extremely delicious CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE cake!! Did I say chocolate??? Though the cake has over 40 directing steps, it really wasn't too difficult to make. I made this cake for my boyfriend, who used to frequent Ebingers with his parents as a young boy in Brooklyn...boy oh boy was he impressed! I added the extra 2T of cornstarch to the pudding mixture, it was way to runny for anyone's liking...the 2T totally solved the problem. I also divided the pudding mixture into halves rather than thirds, as I read the directions beforehand and realized that something wasn't quite making sense with the last 1/3 of pudding. I could not believe how incredibly chocolatey the cake was, and neither could the boyfriend. I think that this was mainly due to the brands of chocolate I used...scharffen-berger and lindt make for an overwhelming taste. He was a huge fan despite the intensity of the chocolate flavor, and did say that it tasted just like good ol' Ebingers!

[Heather V.]

What a ton of work! PHEW! I'm so exhausted from making this cake. It's really rich and yummy, though. I used a bag of ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips for the frosting. It was exactly 12 oz and no chopping. Also, I subbed a mild honey for the corn syrup. I made this cake for an 85th birthday this weekend. I hope my in-laws appreciate all the hard work I put into the cake... and I hope it gives them fond memories of Ebingers, as they're all mostly from Brooklyn and Queens and I've heard them talk about Ebinger's before... particularly the buttercream. If anyone can give me any hints on the buttercream... I'll love you forever!