Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze
Calling all my chocolate lovers out there, this recipe’s for you! I present to you, Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze! This rich, fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake is an absolute breeze to make and is ultra-chocolatey in flavor! The Blackout Cake gets it’s name from the use of extra-dark or ‘black’ cocoa powder, which is exceptionally intense in color and flavor! The final Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake is drenched in a rich chocolate ganache glaze!
What is a Blackout Chocolate Cake?
As you can tell, this Chocolate Cake is visually quite different than your typical chocolate cake! Why is this? Well, it’s from the use of ‘black’ cocoa powder! This ‘black’ cocoa powder, as the name suggests, is extremely dark in color (actually almost black), and is very strong in flavor. ‘Black’ cocoa powder is the same cocoa powder they use in Oreos to give them that almost black-like appearance. The use of this cocoa powder in the Chocolate Cake gives the cake a very dark brown hue that almost verges on being black, making it a “Blackout Chocolate Cake”.
“Blackout Cakes” originated in Brooklyn during the second World War, as a way to pay homage to the mandatory blackouts that Brooklyn endured during this time period. These mandatory blackouts were a safety precaution from the Navy Yard, after a German Uboat was able to quickly sink two tanker ships in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard using the cities lights as a guide.
How to make the Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake
1. Combine wet ingredients: Add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, sour cream, and oil, to a large mixing bowl, then beat together with a whisk until the mixture is smooth and well-combined.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients: In a separate mixing bowl, add the flour, powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Bloom the cocoa: Add the sifted cocoa powders to the warm coffee. Mix until smooth, and then add to the wet mixture from above.
4. Add the dry & wet together: Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and whisk together until smooth. Try not to overmix though!
5. Add to pan & bake: Pour the Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake batter into a prepared bundt pan, then place into the oven to bake! When done, allow the Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake to cool completely before topping with chocolate glaze!
Why do you have to ‘bloom’ cocoa?
You’ll notice in the recipe instructions that you have to add the cocoa powder to hot coffee before adding it to the batter. This is known as ‘blooming’ that cocoa. The reasoning behind this process is that the hot liquid dissolves flavor particles within the cocoa powder, making the final product taste more chocolatey! While we’re at it, you may also be wondering why these Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake as well as many other chocolate cake or cupcake recipes, call for coffee. Again, the reasoning for this is because the coffee actually intensifies that chocolate flavor! Neat, huh?!
What is Double-Dutch Processed Cocoa?
This Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe calls for Dutch Processed cocoa powder and Double-Dutch processed cocoa as the cocoa powder. ‘What the heck is this’, you ask? Dutch processed cocoa is created by alkalizing regular cocoa powder to bring it up to a pH of 7. This process sort of strips the acidic properties out of the cocoa powder, leaving it with a much more mild, less astringent taste. By removing the astringency, the flavor of chocolate is able to shine through more, creating the illusion that it tastes more chocolatey! ‘Black’ cocoa powder is DOUBLE-alkalized cocoa powder. Meaning that it’s even more chocolatey in flavor, and extremely dark in color! Definitely what we want for a blackout chocolate cake recipe!
Be warned, however, that regular cocoa powder and dutch-processed cocoa powder/black cocoa powder cannot always be used interchangeably. Recipes that include baking soda need an acid to activate the baking soda to induce rising. In many recipes this ingredient is cocoa powder (pH=5.3). Therefore, using Dutch processed cocoa powder and black cocoa powder, which has a neutral pH, wouldn’t activate the baking soda, and another acidic ingredient would be required. For example, in this Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe, that other acidic ingredient is sour cream (pH=4.5).
How to Make Chocolate Glaze
The Chocolate Glaze for this Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe is basically just a simple chocolate ganache! To make it you want to start by adding heavy cream to a small sauce pan and bringing it to a very low boil. Remove it from the heat, then pour it into a bowl with the chopped chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for about 1-2 minutes, to allow the chocolate to melt, then using a whisk, mix the ganache together until it looks smooth and uniform!
Get the Recipe: Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze
Ingredients
Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake
- 2 ½ cups (300g) All Purpose Flour,, measured correctly †
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 6 tbsp Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, sifted
- 6 tbsp Double-Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder (‘Black’ Cocoa or Extra-Dark Cocoa),, sifted
- 3/4 cup Hot Freshly Brewed Coffee
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- 2 oz High Quality Milk Chocolate (such as Lindt, etc),, chopped finely
- 2 oz High Quality Dark Chocolate (such as Lindt, etc),, chopped finely
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
Blackout Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a bundt pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together to combine. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, add eggs, sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth and well combined.
- In a small mixing bowl or 2-cup liquid measuring cup, add the hot coffee and both cocoa powders. Whisk together until well-combined and smooth. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then add the cocoa mixture into the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients (eggs, sour cream, etc.), then mix until smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix until smooth. Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan, and bake for 40-50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before glazing with ganache.
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- Place chopped chocolates into a heatproof bowl. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a very light boil. Remove rom heat immediately and pour into the bowl with the chocolate. Allow to sit for one minute, then using a whisk, stir together until the ganache looks smooth.
- Allow the ganache to cool for about 10 minutes before pouring over top of cake.
Notes
Source: Recipe Adapted from Ricardo
