RECIPE | Chocolate blackout cake

This chocolate cake is rich, dark and decadent.

The name refers not to the consequences

of eating too many slices, but to the blackouts during World War 2. It was developed at that time by Ebinger's, a New York bakery that closed in 1972.

In giving the recipe an update I've replaced the rich, creamy chocolate filling that glued the layers together so decadently with a simpler one, which is just as delicious.

Makes: 1 large cake

Cake:

180g (1½ cups) cake flour

10ml (2 tsp) baking powder

2.5ml (½ tsp) bicarbonate of soda

2.5ml (½ tsp) salt

125g butter or baking margarine

185ml (¾ cup) cocoa powder, sifted

250ml (1 cup) cold coffee made with 10ml (2 tsp) instant coffee powder

250ml (1 cup) buttermilk (you can use yoghurt instead)

200g (1 cup) light brown sugar (you can use white sugar instead)

100g (½ cup) white sugar

2 extra large eggs

5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence

Filling:

250g chocolate chips (you can use a quality chocolate bar broken into small pieces)

250ml (1 cup) cream

250g cream cheese, at room temperature

125ml (½ cup) icing sugar, sifted

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Spray and base-line 2 x 20cm deep cake pans with greaseproof paper.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a mixing bowl.
4. Melt the butter, then add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth.
5. In a large bowl, combine this mixture with the coffee, buttermilk and both sugars. Whisk until sugar is dissolved then beat in the eggs and vanilla essence.
6. Gradually add the flour mixture, stirring just until you have a smooth batter.
7. Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
8. While the cake is baking, make the filling by melting the chocolate and cream in a bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring, ensuring that the water is not too hot. Place this ganache in the fridge till firm.
9. Whisk the cream cheese and icing sugar till just mixed then beat in the set chocolate ganache till just mixed. Don't overmix.
10. To assemble the cake, use a sharp knife to cut each cake in half horizontally giving you you four halves. Set one of the cake halves aside to make crumbs to decorate the cake. 
11. Place one layer on a cake stand or cake plate and smear the top with a quarter of the chocolate filling. Repeat with the other two layers of cake.
12. Spread the last amount of filling thinly over the third cake layer and use to ice the sides of the cake.
13. Break up the remaining cake layer into pieces. Place in a food processor and process until you have crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs over the top iced layer.
14. Refrigerate until needed and remove from the fridge 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Cook's notes:

• You can decorate this beautiful moist cake as desired.
• You can bake the cake in one 23cm deep cake pan and extend baking time by 15 minutes. On cooling, slice it horizontally into 3-4 rounds depending on height of the cake.
• If you don't have a deep cake pan you can bake the cake in a rectangular pan with deep sides. On cooling cut it in half vertically and slice horizontally again to make 4 layers.