An Excellent Recipe for Blackout Cake with Chocolate Ganache

In 1992, I turned 20 years old. My best friend, Jennifer, knew I loved to bake and she also knew how much I love chocolate. So, for my 20th birthday, Jennifer gave me a copy of 365 Great Chocolate Desserts by Natalie Haughton. Published in 1991, 365 Great Chocolate Desserts has a chocolate recipe for every day of the year. As an added bonus, Jennifer prepared for me the very first recipe in Haughton's book, a Blackout Cake. I love that recipe so much that for almost two decades, I've adapted it and prepared it over and over again for friends and family. It's always a huge hit.

This cake is rich, delicious, and moist and it will keep for ages, especially if you refrigerate it. It's one of my husband's favorites and he often asks me to make it on special occasions.

Blackout Cake (adapted from Natalie Haughton's 365 Great Chocolate Desserts)

Prep: 30 minutes Cook 35-40 minutes Serves 12 to 16

You'll need

1 1/2 sticks softened butter
3 C sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla or almond extract
4 (1 oz.) squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted
3 C flour
3 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3/4 C buttermilk or 3/4C powdered buttermilk prepared with Saco buttermilk powder and water (Real buttermilk makes the cake richer, but powdered buttermilk also works fine.)
1-1/3 C boiling water
3/4 to 1 C diced roasted almonds or coconut (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

2. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well-blended. Add melted chocolate and beat 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to chocolate mixture in two additions, alternately with buttermilk. Beat until well-blended. With mixer on low speed, add boiling water and beat until smooth (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 to 15 minutes, then unmold onto racks and let cool completely.

5. While cake is baking, prepare Chocolate Ganache.

Chocolate Ganache

Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 3 minutes
Chill: 1 to 1 1/2 hours Makes enough to fill and frost a 2 layer 9 inch cake.

You'll need:

18 oz. semisweet chocolate chips or 3 C semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1-1/2C heavy cream (half and half works just as well- fewer calories, too)
2 T butter, cut up
1 t vanilla extract (I've been known to use other flavorings, too- raspberry, coffee, or orange liqueurs all work well)

1. In a 2 qt. glass measure, combine chocolate chips and cream. Heat in amicrowave oven on high for three minutes, or until melted or smooth when stirred. Stir in butter and vanilla.

2. Cover and refrigerate (or put in freezer for 30 minutes) 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until ganache holds its shape or is thick enough to spread on cake.

3. Cover a cake layer with a little more than one third of Chocolate Ganache. Set second layer on top. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining ganache. Press almonds or coconut into sides of cake. Refrigerate cake 3 to 4 hours, or until ganache is firm.

This basic recipe has been tried in my house more times that I can count. It's never not turned out perfectly and I've had great success baking it for celebrations or just when I want something to help chase away the blues.

I like to get creative with the flavorings, especially in the ganache. If you're in the mood to experiment, substitute orange or raspberry extract for the the vanilla in your ganache. Maybe you'll want to try almond extract instead of vanilla in the cake! I'd love to get comments from those who try baking this cake!

Source

Haughton, Natalie 365 Great Chocolate Desserts. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.