Chocolate Blackout Cake Recipe

• 3 cups milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons cocoa (preferably Dutch processed)
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 8 ounces semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa (preferable Dutch processed)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 dozen chocolate wafer cookies

1. Combine 2 cups milk with 4 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan and bring to just under a boil.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining sugar with salt, cocoa, and cornstarch. Whisk in remaining 1 cup unheated milk. Gradually whisk cocoa mixture into hot milk. Heat, over medium heat, stirring, until mixture thickens (about 5-7 minutes).
3. Whisk together eggs and egg yolks in a small bowl. Temper the eggs by adding a few tablespoons of the heated milk. Add the tempered eggs to the saucepan and stir for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and whisk in chopped chocolate and butter. The pudding should be relatively thick (mud consistency) and will firm up when cooled. If pudding is still thin, continue heating over low heat, stirring until pudding thickens. Cool, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in refrigerator.

To make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 (8-inch) cake pans and line with parchment. Butter the parchment and flour pans, shaking out the excess.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Reserve.
3. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in vegetable oil. Alternately add dry ingredients with buttermilk, scraping the bowl once or twice. Add the coffee and vanilla to form a thin batter. Divide between prepared cake pans.
4. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert onto cooling racks, peel off paper and cool completely.
5. When cool, split each cake in half with a serrated slicing knife. Spread bottom layer with 1/4 of the reserved chocolate pudding. Repeat with remaining layers, ending with pudding on top.
6. In a food processor, pulse the cookies into crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the cake.

Makes 12 servings

[Adapted from Sweet Stuff: Karen Barker's American Desserts]