Chocolate Blackout Cake

This amazing Chocolate Blackout Cake has 3 large cake layers, chocolate custard pudding filling, whipped chocolate ganache and chocolate covered strawberries. A naked cake recipe like no other!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword birthday, chocolate, custard, frosting, strawberry

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1 5

Total Time 2 5

Servings

Calories 801kcal

Author Julie Clark

Ingredients

Custard Pudding Ingredients:

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

Cake Ingredients:

2 boxes of devils food cake mix
2 instant boxes of chocolate pudding (3.9 ounces each)
32 ounces sour cream
6 large eggs
⅔ cup melted butter
1 cup water
2 ½ cups chocolate chips

Ganache Ingredients:

1 ¾ cup heavy cream (divided)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

For Decorating:

1 pound strawberries
4 ounces chocolate almond bark (4 squares)
¼ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Instructions for Custard:

The first step is to make the custard because it needs to cool in the refrigerator.
Melt chocolate in the microwave in a small microwave safe bowl in 20 second increments, stirring between each interval until the chocolate is completely melted.
Over low heat in a medium saucepan combine milk and cream. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove from heat right before it starts to boil.
Remove the milk from heat, pour into a bowl and let it cool to warm.
In the same saucepan as you had the milk, add the egg yolks and sugar, whisking until combined. Then add flour and vanilla.
Place over low heat adding back in the warm milk and cream mixture. Whisk constantly and add the melted chocolate. Mixture will thicken as you stir.
Once the mixture thickens, take the pan off the heat. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl into the fridge to cool for 2 hours.

Instructions for Cake:

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease 3 10-inch round cake pans with shortening, then dust the pans with flour.
Add the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, melted butter and water into a stand mixer. Beat for 2-3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
After cake mix is combined fold in chocolate chips. The cake mix will be thick. Spoon in equal amounts to each prepared cake pan.
Bake time will be about 45-50 minutes. Check the cake at about 30 minutes to see if it is looking done. Exact baking times depend on ovens and the type of pans used. The cake is done when the center of the cake springs back when you touch it.
Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Instructions for Ganache:

Place 1 cup of the cream into a microwave safe bowl. Cook for about 45 seconds, making sure not to boil over.
Add the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with a plate and allow it to sit for 3 minutes so the chocolate can melt.
Stir the mixture until creamy and smooth.
Divide the mixture in two equal parts. Place half the ganache into the refrigerator and leave the other half on the counter to cool.

Instructions for the Decorations:

Wash and pat dry the strawberries.
Set aside.
Place the chocolate chips and almond bark into a microwave safe bowl.
Microwave in 20 seconds increments, stirring between each interval until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Dip strawberries into chocolate and place on parchment paper to harden.
Place the remaining chocolate mixture into a plastic baggie.
Cut off the tip of a corner of the baggie and squeeze out using a circular motion to make chocolate twirls as shown in the pictures.
Allow to harden. You can place into the freezer for a couple of minutes to speed up the hardening process.

Assembling the Cake:

Looking at your cakes make sure the tops are even. Even the tops by slicing off the domes if needed.
Place one of the cakes on the cake plate. The custard pudding will be your filling between layers. So divide pudding in half and frost the top of the first and second layers. Once you've frosted two layers, place the third layer on the very top of the cake.
Remove the ganache from the refrigerator and place it into a mixing bowl along with ¾ cup heavy whipping cream.
Whip until soft peaks form. This makes a ganache whipped cream.
Using a spatula cover the cake in the whipped cream. This is a naked cake so make sure you remove excess whipped cream frosting.
Do this by running spatula around cake removing excess whipped cream frosting. Use excess whipped cream frosting to pipe small flowers or stars around cake.
The ganache mixture left out of fridge will be the drip for the edges of the cake.
Using a spoon, spoon the ganache around the top edge of cake allowing it to drip down the sides.
Arrange strawberries and twirls any way you desire on the top of the cake.
Store cake in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.
Prep time 30 min Cook time 120 min Serves 8-10

Notes

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 18 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake (using all of the frosting, custard and strawberries). Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.

Nutrition