By Yerin Kim, Instyle
You can never have too many sweets—and no one knows that better than Yasmin Newman, food writer and self-proclaimed dessert addict who just released her latest book, The Desserts of New York (And How To Eat Them All) (amazon.com).
In this cookbook-meets-travel-journal, Newman takes us through New York
and the best sweet treats the city has to offer, sharing her favorite
treats throughout the five boroughs and the neighborhoods associated
with them. She wrote it while she was pregnant with her second child and
traveling from Sydney, Australia to NYC with her husband and young
daughter to fulfill what she calls her “Eat Pray Love dream.” If only we
were there to help with the research too.
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One
of the most impressive desserts is the Brooklyn Blackout Cake, inspired
by the blackout drills of World War II and created by Brooklyn-based
Ebinger’s Bakery. We love Newman’s version—a decadent chocolate layered
confection filled with chocolate-espresso cake, Oreo buttercream, and
chocolate-coffee crumbs. Though she admits it’s a lot of work, she
assures us “it’s worth every single bite.”
Read on to learn how to make the chocolate cake of Newman's—and soon to be your's—dreams.
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How to Make It
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Wrap foil
around the outside of two 20 cm (8 in) round springform cake tins to
prevent any batter dripping out, then grease and line the bases with
baking paper.
Sift the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda,
baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat
the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes or until thick and pale. Add the oil
and beat until well combined. In batches, alternately add the flour
mixture and sour cream, beating on low speed until just combined. Add
the coffee and vanilla, and stir well to combine (the batter will be
quite runny).
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared
tins, then bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the
centre of each cake comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 15 minutes,
then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Reduce the oven temperature to 150ºC (300ºF).
Meanwhile, to make the chocolate-coffee
crumbs, line a baking tray with baking paper. Sift the flour, cocoa,
sugar, cornflour and salt into a bowl. Add the butter and coffee and,
using an electric mixer, beat until the mixture comes together in small
balls. Spread out on the prepared tray and bake for 20 minutes or until
dry. Allow to cool completely, then loosely crumble and transfer to an
airtight container until needed.
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To make the Oreo buttercream, process the
chocolate wafers in a food processor to fine crumbs (make sure there are
no small chunks or the buttercream won’t be smooth). Add the cream and
melted butter and process until moistened and well combined. Add the
milk and process until smooth. In a separate, clean bowl, using an
electric mixer, beat the icing sugar and the extra 200 g (7 oz) of
butter for 3 minutes or until light and creamy. Then, add the chocolate
mixture and beat for a further 2 minutes or until smooth. Set aside at
room temperature until needed.
To assemble the cake, using a large serrated
knife, trim the tops off the cakes to make them level, then cut each
cake in half horizontally. Place one base cake layer on a cake stand,
then brush generously with milk. Spread over one-third of the
buttercream all the way to the edges. Repeat this layering with two more
cake layers, milk and buttercream. Finish with the remaining cake base,
bottom side up, then brush generously with milk. Refrigerate for 30
minutes to firm slightly.
Meanwhile, to make the fudge frosting, place
the chocolate and cocoa in a heatproof bowl. Place the remaining
ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until
melted. Pour over the chocolate and cocoa, stand for 1 minute, then
whisk until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool to a spreadable
consistency.
Using a palette knife, carefully scrape and
smear any buttercream around the side of the cake to smooth and achieve a
‘naked’ effect. Spread the fudge frosting over the top, then pile on
the chocolate crumbs and serve.
TIP: If you can’t find Nabisco Famous
Chocolate Wafers, use Oreos with the vanilla filling scraped off. It’s a
little wasteful, but no other chocolate cookie matches the dark choc
flavour of these guys. Alternatively, make another two batches of the
chocolate crumbs, omitting the coffee, and use these in your buttercream
instead of the wafers.
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CHOCOLATE-COFFEE CRUMBS1/3 cup plain
(all‑purpose) flour1/3 cup unsweetened (Dutch) cocoa powder1/4
cup caster (superfine) sugar1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)1/2
teaspoon fine salt1 3/4 oz unsalted butter, melted2 teaspoon espresso or
strong brewed coffee, at room temperature
OREO BUTTERCREAM11 1/2 oz Nabisco Famous
Chocolate Wafers (see tip)1/2 cup pouring (whipping/heavy) cream1 3/4
oz unsalted butter, melted, plus an extra 7 oz unsalted butter, chopped,
softened2/3 cup milk1/2 cup pure icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING1 3/4 oz dark
chocolate (55% cocoa solids), finely chopped1/4 cup unsweetened (Dutch)
cocoa powder1/4 cup glucose syrup2 tablespoons caster (superfine)
sugar1/3 cup pouring (whipping/heavy) cream
