Blackout Cake

Today is my mom's birthday (Happy Birthday Mom!). It also happened to be her best friend's birthday on Thursday. Her friend's daughter and I are friends as well, and both families were having a birthday dinner together on Friday, so her friend's daughter and I decided  to make a cake for them together. We planned out a three-tiered chocolate blackout cake. We doubled a recipe for two 9" round cakes so that it made 4 cakes. We baked the batter in two 9x13 pans instead of the round pans. We kept the first layer full. We then cut the top layer so that most of it was the second tier, but there was enough for a small top tier. We simply iced and stacked them - no toothpicks or anything. It worked out great! We decorated the cake using a combination of green icing gel, sugar hearts, slivered almonds, and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Yum! Everybody loved it. The only thing I would do differently next time would be to put cake boards under each of the layers, because it was difficult to slice. I really recommend making this recipe. Enjoy!

Blackout Cake (original recipe here)

• Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups softened butter
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/3 cups boiling water
  • 3/4-1 cup roasted slivered almond

  GANACHE

  • 18 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut up
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Directions

  1. 1

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  2. 2

     Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans.

  3. 3

     Tap out excess flour.

  4. 4

     In a large bowl beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.

  5. 5

     Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat till well blended.

  6. 6

     Add melted chocolate and beat 1-2 minutes.

  7. 7

     Mix together flour and baking soda and salt.

  8. 8

     Add to chocolate mixture in 2 additions alternately with the buttermilk.

  9. 9

     Beat till well blended.

  10. 10

      On low speed, add boiling water and beat till smooth.

  11. 11

      (Batter will be thin.) Pour into prepared pans.

  12. 12

      Bake for 35-40 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean.

  13. 13

      Let cool in pans for 10 to 15 minutes.

  14. 14

      Turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.

  15. 15

      For Ganache:Melt chocolate chips and cream together and stir until smooth.

  16. 16

      Stir in butter and vanilla.

  17. 17

      Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until ganache holds its shape and is thick enough to spread on cake layers.

  18. 18

      Cover one layer with a little more than 1/3 of the ganache.

  19. 19

      Top with second layer; frost top and sides with remaining ganache.

  20. 20

      Press almond slivers into sides of cake.

  21. 21

      Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours for ganache to firm back up for easier slicing.