The "Empire Diner" Brooklyn Blackout Skillet Pudding Cake
Milkshakes, Pies & Sweet Endings
A 10-inch cast-iron skillet is the only proper vessel for a molten, pitch-dark blackout cake. When the Empire Diner revived the legendary World War II-era Brooklyn Blackout Cake in their spinning glass pastry case, they brought back a dark chocolate masterpiece, but a real short-order cook doesn't have three hours to temper pudding and frost delicate layers while managing a flat-top full of patty melts. You mix it, top it with sugar and Dutch-process cocoa, pour boiling diner coffee over the whole mess, and let the oven do the work; when it emerges bubbling, molten, and dark as midnight, skip the side plates, hand out the metal spoons, and eat it straight from the hot iron.
Ingredients
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- all-purpose flour1 cup
- baking powder2 tsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- Dutch-process cocoa powder1/4 cup
- whole milk1/2 cup
- unsalted butter4 tbsp
- pure vanilla extract1 1/2 tsp
- semi-sweet chocolate chips1/2 cup
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- light brown sugar1/2 cup
- Dutch-process cocoa powder1/3 cup
- brewed coffee1 1/2 cup
- vanilla ice cream1 pt
Method
- 01
Preheat your oven to 350°F and generously rub a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with the softened butter.
Do not use non-stick spray; the dairy fat is essential to caramelize the edges where the cake meets the hot iron.
- 02
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, the first half-cup of granulated sugar, and the quarter-cup of cocoa powder in a medium bowl.
- 03
Pour the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract directly into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula just until combined.
It will be incredibly thick, resembling brownie batter. Fold in the chocolate chips now if you're using them.
- 04
Scrape the thick batter into the buttered skillet and spread it evenly to the edges.
This is where you appreciate a good spatula—get every bit of that dense batter into the iron.
- 05
Whisk the remaining half-cup of granulated sugar, brown sugar, and third-cup of cocoa powder in a small bowl, then sprinkle uniformly over the batter.
Do not mix it in. It should sit on top of the wet batter like a dry layer of dark sand.
- 06
Gently pour the boiling hot coffee over the entire surface of the cake and strictly do not stir.
It will look like a ruined, watery mess. Trust the culinary mechanics: the boiling liquid dissolves the sugar, and as the batter bakes and rises, this heavy chocolate syrup will sink to the bottom to form the pudding.
- 07
Bake on the middle rack for 30 to 35 minutes until the cake puffs and the edges bubble furiously with thick chocolate pudding.
The center should look set like a cake but may jiggle slightly underneath.
- 08
Remove the heavy skillet from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
This rest is absolutely critical to let the boiling pudding beneath the surface thicken into hot fudge. Scoop deeply to get the hot blackout pudding, topping immediately with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Moisture management is the engine of this dish.
The liquid poured over the top must be at a rolling boil. If it's only warm, the sugars won't dissolve quickly enough and the inversion process will be stunted, resulting in a gummy cake rather than a pudding.
Seek out Dutch-process cocoa powder for authenticity.
The alkalizing process neutralizes the cocoa's natural acidity and yields the distinctively dark, nearly black color synonymous with the 'Blackout' moniker.
Respect the cast-iron thermal mass.
Just like the diner's flat-top, the iron retains heat flawlessly. It caramelizes the edges where the sugar meets the buttered iron, creating chewy, brownie-like borders that a glass baking dish simply cannot replicate.
From Cook Diner Food at Home.