Black-Out Cake
Submitted by littlerascal
Black-out cake with unsweetened chocolate buttermilk layers smothered in thick semi-sweet chocolate ganache and pressed with roasted almonds. Intensely rich and fudgy.
YIELD
1 servingsPREP
50 minCOOK
40 minREADY
90 minBrooklyn bakery legend meets home kitchen. This black-out cake stacks two layers of deep, dark chocolate cake under a blanket of glossy ganache, then gets coated in roasted almonds for crunch.
What sets this apart from a standard chocolate cake is the batter itself. Unsweetened chocolate gives it that almost-bitter, cocoa-bomb intensity, while buttermilk keeps the crumb tender and adds a slight tang. The boiling water at the end thins everything out (don’t worry, that’s intentional) and helps the chocolate bloom so every bite hits hard.
Beat the butter and sugar until genuinely light and fluffy. That 1-2 minutes of creaming builds the air pockets that keep these layers from turning dense. When you add the boiling water, the batter will look alarmingly thin. Trust it. It bakes up into a moist, velvety crumb.
The ganache needs a full hour in the fridge to set up thick enough to spread. Rush it and you’ll have chocolate soup sliding off the sides. Once frosted, press the diced almonds into the sides while the ganache is still slightly tacky so they stick.
Pro Tips
- Let the cake layers cool completely before frosting. Warm cake melts ganache on contact.
- Microwave the ganache in 1-minute bursts, stirring between each. Overheating will make it grainy.
- Refrigerate the finished cake 3-4 hours so the ganache firms up for clean slices.
- Bring slices to room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Cold ganache tastes muted.
Variations
- Extra dark: Use bittersweet chips instead of semi-sweet in the ganache for a more intense finish.
- Nut-free: Skip the almonds and press chocolate cookie crumbs into the sides instead.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). grease 2 nine inch round cake pans. Dust with flour, tap out excess.
In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar with electric mixer or medium speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add chocolate and beat 1 to 2 minutes.
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.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then unmold onto racks and let cool completely.
Make Chocolate Ganache:In a 2 qart glass measure, combine chocolate chips and heavy cream. Heat in a microwave oven on HIGH 3 minutes, or until melted and smooth when stirred. Stir in butter and vanilla.
Cover and refrigerate 1 hour, or until ganache holds its shape and is thick enough to spread on cake.
Cover a cake layer with a little more than ⅓ of chocolate ganache. Set second layer on top. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining ganache. Press almonds into side of cake.
Refrigerate cake 3 to 4 hours, or until ganache is firm, before serving.
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