Brooklyn Blackout Cake

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: June 8, 2023

A proper celebratory cake should consist of at LEAST three layers, am I right? Unless the two layers are really thick, or the one layer is a flourless chocolate cake, or an olive oil cake, or something else rustic (and probably foreign). That being said, this cake features three teeny-tiny layers, so maybe it’s only technically a one-and-a-half layers tall. But that’s neither here nor there. The official story is, I made a three-layer cake, and that’s that.

The occasion? My birthday! (I know, I know, who makes their own birthday cake? Hello, a food blogger, duh!) We celebrated on Saturday, therefore the cake was consumed that day. I had to hustle to complete it because my original idea for a twenty-something-layer crepe cake flopped (also, I discovered that Trader Joes’s powdered sugar is slightly gray-colored. Ever seen a gray glaze on a cake? Probably not, because it’s gross-looking.)

For those unfamiliar with the Brooklyn blackout cake, it’s Americana at its finest. Its name was coined during World War II—the most patriotic name possible for a chocolate cake with chocolate pudding frosting and a chocolate crumb exterior, right?—and for a few decades, it reigned as one of the most delicious, iconic food items in the New York area. Unfortunately, the bakery that invented the cake went out of business, and it vanished. Well, not quite. It’s still plenty nostalgia- and saliva-inducing, but the original recipe is, like all good things, cloaked in secrecy.

You’ll find versions of it here and there, back-engineered attempts at recapturing the chocolate on chocolate on chocolate magic. Strangely, my favorite rendition isn’t from a bakery in the borough in which its name was clinched, but rather, from a tiny Upper East Side bakery called Two Little Red Hens, which turns out such a DENSE and MOIST slice, that I can only eat half of it (granted, Chris and I always order a slice of cheesecake along with it).

While the cake was consumed in its entirety, I did manage to save a slice so you could see the layers within. For what it’s worth, I found it a bit flat-tasting, lacking in depth, the frosting especially. I was surprised, since it’s from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, but then again, I did learn recently that there is such thing as too much chocolate. If you make it, let me know what you think. I may have to adjust my chocolate expectations.

BROOKLYN BLACKOUT CAKE

Makes one 3-layer 6-inch cake
Adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, via Hummingbird High

Note: This recipe was created by Hummingbird Bakery, a London bakery. Michelle wrote that she found the chocolate pudding difficult to make, but I used an immersion blender to mix the corn starch with the water and had no problems with the pudding coming together whatsoever. (A lot of Chinese dishes involve slurries, corn starch with water mixes used to thicken sauces, so maybe I’m just used to the weird properties of corn starch.)

Ingredients:

For the frosting:
1-3/4 cups water plus 1/4 cup water, separated
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
scant 1/3 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the cake:

3-1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
10 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/6 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
scant 1/2 tsp baking powder
scant 1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole milk

Directions:

For the frosting: Ideally start on this the day before to give it time to cool fully. Combine 1-3/4 cups water, sugar, light corn syrup, and cocoa powder into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally. In the meantime, combine the remaining 1/4 cup water with corn starch in a cup and mix with an immersion blender until dissolved. It’ll be relatively thin and uniformly opaque.

Slowly pour the corn starch mix into the sauce pan, whisking vigorously. Let the mix come back to a boil, whisking still. Continue whisking as the pudding thickens. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes for it to reach a thick chocolate pudding-like consistency. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter, incorporating it completely. The pudding should be shiny and thick.

Pour the pudding into a receptacle, cover the surface with plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge until completely cool.

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 6-inch round pan, and lay a circular parchment paper round on the bottom.

In a stand mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. On low speed, mix in the egg until it’s completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then, on low speed, beat in the vanilla extract, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Continue mixing until just combined, then add about half the flour as well as the milk. When just combined, add the remainder of the flour, mixing until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and place it in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean and the top bounces back a little when you push it. Let the pan cool for a minutes, then empty the cake onto a cooling rack to completely cool. Remove the parchment paper round.

Assembling: Slice off the domed top of the cake. Save it for the crumb topping. Carefully, slice the cake into three even-sized layers (they’ll be quite thin, so be careful). Proceed the way you’d normally assemble a layer cake, adding about 1/4 of the chocolate pudding frosting between layers. (When you take the pudding out of the fridge, it’ll be kind of hard to work with initially, but will become more malleable once it’s been worked with a spatula for a bit.) Cover the exterior of the cake with the rest of the chocolate pudding.

Finally, take that saved dome and process it in a food processor until it turns into fine crumbs. Using a sieve, spread the crumbs evenly across the top of the cake. With the remaining crumbs, cover the sides. I found this easiest to do by taking a handful and patting them onto the sides, first covering the bottom, then moving onto the top.

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Conversation Heart Macarons

Recipes

Christiana George

Updated Date:
December 19, 2022

I am so excited. I made macarons!! I took classes to make macarons two years ago at Sur la Table, but never made them at home. I never had the time or the patience. But they are actually not that hard to make. I will admit the first try didn’t go as well. The macaron batter spread too much, and the macarons stuck to the parchment paper after baked. I narrowed down my problems and tried again. I made sure that my meringue was stiffer this time, I changed the brand of parchment paper, and I used a smaller piping tip. Voilà! The second batch came out beautiful.

The good news is that you really don’t need that many ingredients. I found the Almond Meal/Flour at the grocery store. You will need a kitchen scale, a sifter or mesh strainer, and some parchment paper. I used Reynold’s parchment paper I bought at the grocery store. You have to sift the flour, powdered sugar and crushed candy hearts in order to have a smooth batter and nice flat macarons. I Used Brach’s conversation hearts candy. They have fruity flavors, not as chalky as the Necco ones.

It’s best if you sift twice. I know it seems like a lot of work, but it is worth it in the end. For the conversation hearts I chopped them up a bit with a knife before putting them in my food processor to turn them into powder. The other day I used my Blendtec which also worked well. They need to be a very fine consistency.

If you have a stand mixer, whipping the meringue is easy. If you don’t have stiff glossy peaks, just whip it some more. I used egg whites in a carton, so I didn’t have to worry about getting yolks in the mix. Look at those “feet”, that means it worked.

The template for the macarons that I made at Sur la Table were for mini macarons. I wanted someting a bit bigger. I made my own template on a piece of paper using a 1 1/2 inch circle guide. You can make yours on the computer if you want. I think next time I will make my circles a little further apart. They should be atleast a 1/2 inch apart. Other than that my template worked out great. I just slipped it under the parchment paper and piped my macarons. This time for piping tip, I used Ateco # 806. When I make these again, I may even go lower like a #804 or #803.

For the filling, I chose a buttercream. It lent itself better with the candy. The crushed candy gave the buttercream such a pretty pink color that I didn’t want to ruin, so when I added the vanilla, I chose to add a clear vanilla that I keep on hand for when I want a pure white frosting. It added just the flavor I need without changing the color of the filling.

If you like conversation hearts candy, you are going to love these macarons. They taste just like the candy, but in macaron form. How cool is that?

The shell is crispy, the inside is soft, and the filling is just the right amount of sweetness. I am so in love with these. They would make a great gift for someone you love on Valentine’s Day.

Conversation Heart Macarons

by The Sweet Chick

Prep Time: 2 1/2 hours

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert snack egg whites almond flour conversation heart candy macarons French

Ingredients (33 macarons)

For the macaron

7 oz. powdered sugar, divided
4 oz. almond flour/meal
4 large ( 4 oz.) egg whites, room temperature (I used 4 oz. egg whites in a carton)
3 1/2 oz. granulated sugar
3 tablespoons powdered Brach’s conversation heart candy

For the filling

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature
3/4 cup powdered Brach’s conversation heart candy
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
2-3 teaspoons milk

Instructions

For the macarons

Prepare circle templates and line baking sheets with parchment paper, placing template under parchment.

In a food processor, pulse 1/3 of the powdered sugar and all the almond flour to form a fine powder. Then sift sugar mixture 2 times. Sift remaining powdered sugar 2 times also. In a large bowl combine almond flour mixture and remaining powdered sugar.

Chop or break up the candy hearts and then place in food processor. Grind until they become a fine powder. Sift candy powder 2 times. Add candy to powdered sugar mixture and mix well. Set aside.

Add egg whites to stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment. Whisk whites on medium speed until foamy. Then gradually add the granulated sugar. Once all sugar is added, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase mixer speed to high and whisking until stiff, firm, glossy peaks form.

Next sift the powdered sugar mixture 1/3 at a time over the egg white mixture and carefully fold using a large silicone spatula until mixture is smooth and shiny. Repeat process for the remaining 2/3 of the powdered sugar mixture.

Place the macaron mixture into a piping bag with a round tip ( I used Ateco # 806). With piping tip 1/2 inch above the template , pipe 1 1/2 inch circles onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Once finished gently tap baking sheet on your work surface to release and air bubbles and help form the “feet” of the macarons.

Let macarons stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Have patience.)

During this time, preheat oven to 375°F. Macarons will be ready to bake when they no longer stick to your finger when lightly touched. (Do not forget to remove the template paper before baking.)

When ready, bake the macarons at 375°F for 10-15 minutes. (Mine took 13 minutes.) Rotate baking sheets halfway through to promote consistent baking. Macarons will be ready when they are crisp and firm.

Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes. Then carefully remove the macarons from parchment paper and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and powdered candy. Then slowly add the powdered sugar and mix on low until fully combined.

Next add the vanilla extract and 2-3 teaspoons of milk. You want the consistency to be smooth and spreadable. Mix well.

Place filling in a piping bag with round tip (I used Ateco #804).

Pipe filling onto one macaron and then sandwich it together with another one. Repeat for remaining macarons.

But before you go pop one in your mouth, I ask that you have just a little more patience. Macarons should be placed in the fridge for 24 hours before eating. This is how they mature and reach their full flavor. You can eat one right away, but when you eat one the next day it will be so much better. I know it will drive you crazy, but it will be worth all your hard work.

Notes

I weighed the powdered candy after sifting because it tended to have a lot of bits that didn’t go through the sifter.

Macarons can be kept sealed in an airtight container up to 1 week in the fridge.

Macaron recipe adapted from Sur La Table Mango Macarons

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