I made my first attempt at a Brooklyn blackout cake a few years ago and decided it was time to revamp the recipe! I’ve dubbed this updated version my chocolate blackout cake.

I liked my original plan for this cake, but there were a few things I wanted to change.

Changes Made to this Chocolate Cake Recipe

One of the most notable changes to this recipe involves the cake layers.

Originally I used my go-to chocolate layer cake recipe, because I was convinced I needed a layer cake with great structure to stand up against the moisture of the pudding.

Last time I made this cake with pudding from scratch. It wasn’t as thick as store bought pudding usually is (I probably needed to let it cook longer).

This go around I decided to make life a little easier and use store-bought pudding, and it was much thicker.

So I played around with my chocolate layer cake recipe, and actually swapped the all-purpose flour for self-rising cake flour.

This simple swap had a huge impact on the texture of the cake layers. They were super moist, soft, and fluffy. They turned out exactly how I had hoped they would.

One thing to note, this does cause the cake layers to lose a bit of their structure. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing!

Especially with this cake, since it’s frosted with (what I like to call) chocolate ganache frosting.

The chocolate ganache in this recipe sets pretty firmly once it’s on the cake, and this keeps everything in place. Even with the creamy chocolate pudding filling!

Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour

Now some of you might be asking, why cake flour?? Your recipes usually use all-purpose flour!

Cake flour has less protein in it (usually 7-8%) than all-purpose flour (about 11%). Why does the protein content matter? Because this protein becomes gluten as you mix it with liquid.

More protein means more gluten, which means denser, chewier baked goods (think of a chewy loaf of sourdough bread!).

Cake flour makes baked goods that are fluffier, and lighter like angel food cake. They also give baked goods a finer crumb.

All of this probably sounds super good, right? I’m totally team light & fluffy. So why not ALWAYS use cake flour??

Sometimes you need a little bit more structure, like when you’re making a super tall layer cake!

I generally prefer using all purpose flour in my cake recipes. A lot of my cake recipes use a ton of buttermilk (like my vanilla layer cake recipe), and I find they’re already plenty moist and tender.

All purpose flour helps my cake layers keep their shape when they’re being stacked and/or carved in a layer cake. I also always have all-purpose flour on hand.

But I wanted this cake to be different. The ganache is pretty rich and dense, as the pudding is also pretty thick!

I wanted fluffier cake layers to help balance it all out, and to create a great variety of textures.

Why Self-Rising Cake Flour is Your Best Friend

Now onto the self-rising part. Self-rising cake flour is pre-mixed, so salt and baking powder are already perfectly incorporated into the cake flour.

I love this because it helps you skip three steps.

Rather than getting out the ingredients, placing them a in a separate bowl, and whisking them together, you just use 3 cups of your self-rising cake flour. Viola!

Surprisingly, my neighborhood grocery store ONLY carries the self-rising type of cake flour. If you forgot to grab some at the store or can’t find any, don’t worry.

For every cup of self-rising flour that this recipe calls for, measure out 1 cup of cake flour, then add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder.

Or if you are more of a metrics person, here’s the same formula in grams.

You can swap 100 grams of self-rising flour with 100 grams of cake flour, plus 5 1/2 grams baking powder and 1 gram salt. 

Using Store-Bought Pudding

Like I mentioned above, another change I made this time around was to use store bought pudding.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about making things from scratch. I haven’t bought frosting or a box cake mix in years.

But when you’re already putting so much energy and effort into the rest of the cake, I think it’s ok to take a little short cut.

I also can honestly say after making pudding from scratch, that I like the instant kind better!!

It’s texture is perfect to be used as a cake filling, especially when you add slightly less milk than the package calls for.

Instead of adding 2 cups, I chose to add 1 1/2 cups of whole milk. It gives the pudding a thick consistency, which you need when adding it to a layer cake like this.

Chocolate Ganache vs. Chocolate Frosting

This chocolate blackout cake is filled and covered with milk chocolate ganache. It sets quite firmly once it’s on the cake, which keeps that pudding filling in place!

I love it because it’s rich, but not too sweet. It also really lets the chocolate flavor shine through!

Be sure to use a good quality chocolate when making your ganache. I love using either Ghirardelli or Guittard.

If you’re not a fan of chocolate ganache, or just prefer regular chocolate frosting, feel free to cover this cake in whatever you like best!

I think this cake would also be amazing with my chocolate buttercream frosting.

Changing the Decoration of This Chocolate Blackout Cake

The final thing I want to touch on is the decoration of this cake. I’m going to be totally honest, I absolutely LOVED the way I decorated my original Brooklyn Blackout Cake.

It was simple, yet stunning. I used an ateco 869 piping tip to make that gorgeous border, and it was exactly how I’d envisioned it.

But I couldn’t remake this cake and not change the decoration. I usually go into my kitchen with a plan, or sketch out my design for a cake ahead of time.

But I went a little rogue while making this chocolate blackout cake, and I didn’t really plan out how the cake would look. I just let myself go wild.

I used an icing comb to make some ridges in my ganache, left a rustic edge on top, and even added in a partial chocolate drip.

Feel free to let yourself get creative with the decoration too!

Sometimes we get so caught up in our plans and vision, we don’t allow ourselves to just have fun in the kitchen 🙂

Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Blackout Cake:

• Don’t overmix your batter, stir until the cake flour is just combined
• Be sure to properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale
• Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature to help them mix together better
• Don’t level your cake layers until they are completely cooled.
• Save your cake tops and crumble them with a fork to decorate your cake

Making This Chocolate Blackout Cake in Advance and Storage Tips

Make your cake layers in advance and freeze them. It breaks the process up and make it more approachable.

Make your chocolate ganache ahead of time too, or save any leftover ganache! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.

You may need to heat it up in the microwave a bit once it’s thawed to get it to a workable consistency. Heat it in 30 second intervals at a medium power level until it’s a spreadable consistency.

A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. The ganache locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious!

If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining ganache to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Let Me Know What You Think

If you try this chocolate blackout cake recipe, please tag me @chelsweets, and use the #chelsweets, so I can see your beautiful creations!!

Also leave a comment below, and a rating to let me know your thoughts.

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