The darkest of chocolate cakes, a rich chocolate syrup, and a
creamy, dreamy bittersweet chocolate frosting come together to make one rich
and decadent Best Blackout Cake! This is one dessert your family and friends
soon won’t forget.
My son started his senior year of high school this past Monday. Yes, you heard that right. My baby is a senior! It seems like just yesterday he was starting his high school career, and here we are almost to the end. I’m proud, excited, sad, stressed…I’m just a mixed bag of emotions right now. I know this is all part of parenthood, but it sure isn’t easy.
Ever since my boys started school many years ago, I’ve always had a tradition of doing something special on their first and last days of school. Usually it’s a celebratory lunch or a fancy dinner out, and sometimes it’s a special sweet treat. Since I love to bake, I really enjoy making them something homemade, that’s from my heart.
As part of my work with the Sunday Supper Movement I was recently sent the Cake Magic! cookbook by author Caroline Wright, sponsored by Workman Publishing for a special #WeekdaySupper event. Let me start off by saying that I quickly fell in love with this book! Caroline has introduced an innovative and easy way to make 100 delightful and flavorful cakes. Her simple five-ingredient homemade dry mix is the foundation for every cake in the book. Once you have the cake base, it’s just a matter of mixing and matching a batter, flavoring syrup, frosting, and occasional topping! Her mix-and-match method makes it possible to introduce nearly endless changes on the same basic cake batter just by switching up the flavoring syrups and frostings. Be sure to head to the bottom of this post for a chance to win a copy of this fabulous cookbook for yourself!
Once I got my hands on Cake Magic! I couldn’t put it down! I was drawn in by Caroline’s gorgeous photos and all of her wonderful tips. And I knew instantly that I was going to make one of her magical cakes to celebrate my baby’s first day of his senior year. I decided on the Best Blackout Cake, and boy am I glad I did. If you’re a chocolate lover, then I know you are going to love it too!
Cake Magic! is all about creating everyday magic with your family and friends. Maybe you want to make a “School Lunch Cake” before the kids head back to school. Or you can celebrate the end of summer with friends and serve up the “Blueberry Lemon-Ricotta Cake.” Looking forward to fall? Then you’ll definitely want to make the “Caramel Apple Cake!” You will discover endless possibilities with Caroline’s flavoring syrups and frostings.
Caroline was kind enough to do an interview with us, which you can read here! Learn more about her and her amazing Cake Magic! cookbook by following her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Also be sure to follow Workman Publishing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to keep up with the latest news on their books!
By the way, my family loved the Best Blackout Cake and can’t wait for me to bake it again!
Best Blackout Cake
Author: Caroline Wright, Cake Magic! Cookbook
Recipe used with permission from Workman Publishing Company
Makes one 8 or 9-inch two layer cake (or one 10-inch bundt cake, one 13x9-inch sheet cake, or 24 cupcakes)
Print this recipe
For the Cake
Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing the pans
½ cup sifted, unsweetened cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting the pans
4 cups dry Cake Magic! Cake Mix (see below), whisked well before measuring
¼ teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
¾ cup full-fat plain yogurt (preferably not Greek yogurt see Making Substitutions)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, or 1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
4 large eggs, at room temperature
For the Chocolate Syrup
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
Pinch of salt
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
For the Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
4 cups (16-ounce box) confectioners’ sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of the pan(s). Dust with cocoa powder to coat, then invert and gently tap out any excess. (If making cupcakes, use liners instead of greasing and coating the tins.)
- Whisk together the ½ cup cocoa powder, cake mix, and baking soda in a large bowl to combine. Stir in the melted chocolate, yogurt, butter, water, and eggs until moistened and no lumps remain (be careful not to overmix). Divide the batter between the prepared pans.
- Bake until the layers are domed and golden brown, and a few moist crumbs cling to a skewer inserted in the center of the cake, 35 to 40 minutes (40 to 50 minutes for a Bundt, 25 to 30 minutes for a 13 by 9-inch cake, and 20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes).
- While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup Combine the sugar, water, and salt in a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for about 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then stir in the vanilla and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool. Use the syrup warm or let it stand, covered, until it reaches room temperature.
- After removing the cake layers from the oven, pierce them (still in the pans) at 1-inch intervals with a skewer or paring knife. Pour or brush the syrup over the layers, dividing it evenly. Set the layers aside, in the pans, on a wire rack to cool completely. (The syrup will soak into the cakes.)
- When the cakes are cool and no longer wet to the touch, 1 to 2 hours, make the frosting: Combine the butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, and 2 cups of the sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the remaining sugar and beat on medium speed until the frosting is pale and no longer grainy, about 2 minutes. In a slow, steady stream, drizzle in the melted chocolate and beat until the frosting is very light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Run a knife, or an offset spatula, around the edge of one of the cake layers to loosen it. (Turn the layers out of their pans 1 by 1, as you frost them.) Place the layer on a cake plate with strips of waxed, or parchment, paper underneath; these will catch any drips and keep your cake plate clean. Spread the layer with about a third of the frosting on top.
- Frost the rest. Run a knife, or an offset spatula, around the edge of the remaining cake layer. Invert it onto the frosted layer. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting.
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt (see Note)
Instructions:
Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together well to combine. Whisk the mix again before measuring.
NOTE: It’s important to use table salt in the cake mix; other types will eventually settle out of the mix.
This post is sponsored by Workman Publishing Company in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
Weekday Supper Cake Magic Recipes:
We have an exciting two weeks of Cake Magic! recipes to share with you! Links will be updated below as the posts go live:
Week One:
Strawberry Lemon Cake {Gluten Free} from Family Foodie
Confetti Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Fresh Blueberry Cake from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
Dream Cake from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cook
Best Blackout Cake from The Chef Next Door
Week Two:
Malted Chocolate Stout Cake from Dizzy Busy and Hungry
Strawberry Lemon Cake from Magnolia Days
Confetti Cake {Gluten-Free} from Desserts Required
Peanut Butter Pretzel Cake from Meal Planning Magic
Southern Diner Cake from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
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