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Sliced vegan Brooklyn blackout cake on a glass cake stand.
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Vegan Brooklyn Blackout Cake

This vegan Brooklyn blackout cake is the ultimate rich, fudgy, indulgent chocolate cake. Three layers of moist, ultra-chocolatey cake are filled and covered in thick, smooth chocolate custard then finished with a coating of cake crumbs.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Diet Vegan
Keyword cake
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes
Chilling Time 6 hours
Servings 12 people
Author Domestic Gothess

Equipment

  • two 20 cm/8 in round, 5 cm/2 in deep cake tins

Ingredients

Cakes:

  • 60 g (¾ cup) Dutch processed or black cocoa powder
  • 380 g (1 ½ cups + 4 teaspoons) boiling water
  • 150 g 60-75% dark chocolate finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or 1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules
  • 147 g (⅔ cup) oil (olive, sunflower, vegetable or canola)
  • 300 g (1 ½ cups) light brown soft sugar
  • 180 g (¾ cup) plain vegan yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 340 g (2 ¾ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

Chocolate Pudding:

  • 60 g (½ cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
  • 600 g (2 ½ cups) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
  • 200 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar
  • 40 g (½ cup) Dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 2 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder or 1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules
  • 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 175 g 60-75% dark chocolate finely chopped

Instructions

Cakes:

  • Preheat the oven to 160℃/140℃ fan/325℉/gas mark 3. Grease and line two 20 cm/8 in round, 5 cm/2 in deep cake tins.
  • Place the cocoa powder in a large bowl and whisk in the boiling water with a balloon whisk. Add the chopped chocolate and espresso powder and whisk until melted and smooth.
    60 g (¾ cup) Dutch processed or black cocoa powder, 380 g (1 ½ cups + 4 teaspoons) boiling water, 150 g 60-75% dark chocolate, 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or 1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules
  • Whisk in the oil, sugar, yogurt and vanilla extract.
    147 g (⅔ cup) oil (olive, sunflower, vegetable or canola), 300 g (1 ½ cups) light brown soft sugar, 180 g (¾ cup) plain vegan yogurt, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Whisk in the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, followed by the plain flour. Mix until no dry lumps remain but be careful not to overbeat the batter.
    2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 ¼ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 340 g (2 ¾ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • Divide the batter between the prepared tins (use a scale for accuracy) and bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
  • Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 20 minutes then carefully turn them out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Once cool store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Pudding:

  • Place the cornflour in a pan and whisk in a splash of the milk to make a smooth paste.
    60 g (½ cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
  • Mix in the rest of the milk, the sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, vanilla, salt and chopped chocolate.
    600 g (2 ½ cups) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), 200 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar, 40 g (½ cup) Dutch processed cocoa powder, 2 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder or 1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules, 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, 175 g 60-75% dark chocolate
  • Place the pan over a low heat and stir constantly until the chocolate has melted. Turn the heat up to medium and bring the mixture up to the boil, whisking constantly and making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pan. Cook until it has thickened to a thick, glossy pudding.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and use a spatula to scrape the pudding through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover with clingfilm or baking paper directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Assembly:

  • Place the cake layers in the fridge for at least an hour so that they are easier and less crumbly to slice.
  • Slice each of the chilled cakes in half so that you have four cake layers - a cake wire is the best tool for this, or you can use a bread knife. Set aside the worst looking layer.
  • Give the chilled pudding a stir so that it is smooth. Place one of the cake layers on a serving plate and use an offset spatula to spread over a little over a quarter of the pudding. Place another cake layer on top, then another layer of pudding, then a third cake layer on top.
  • Spread the remaining pudding over the top and sides of the cake, it doesn't need to be particularly neat.
  • Use your hands to crumble up the remaining cake layer into a bowl then press handfuls of the crumbs all over the cake, you probably won't need them all.
  • Store the cake in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days, though it is best eaten on the day it is assembled.

Notes

  • I recommend baking the cakes and making the pudding the day before you want to serve the cake as they both need to be completely cold before assembling the cake.
  • See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
  • USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
  • For the teaspoon and Tablespoon measurements, please use proper measuring spoons, not just regular spoons. A teaspoon is 5ml and a Tablespoon is 15ml.