The History of the Brooklyn Blackout Cake
The Brooklyn Blackout cake is chocolatey, fudgy, delicious, and has a fascinating history.
2 MINUTE READ
Brooklyn blackout cake is one of the most iconic desserts made famous by the borough! If you know, you know: this cake is iconic, historic, and most important, chocolatey! What is a Brooklyn blackout cake, you ask? Today, we will shed some light on this delectable, yet largely forgotten, NYC iconic dessert!
In this post, you will learn:
What is a Brooklyn blackout cake?
Who invented Brooklyn blackout cake?
Why do they call it blackout cake?
1. so What is a Brooklyn blackout cake?
The classic Brooklyn blackout cake is three layers of rich devil’s food chocolate cake. In between are slathered two generous layers of chocolate pudding, and the entire cake is frosted in a rich chocolate ganache. The Brooklyn blackout cake recipe also calls for the cake to be crumb-coated with more chocolate cake crumbs, for a contrasting texture to the moist, succulent interior.
2. That sounds delicious! But who invented it?
Ebinger’s bakery is credited with the invention of the Brooklyn blackout cake as we know it! George and Catherine Ebinger opened their German bakery on Flatbush Avenue in 1898. They eventually expanded into 50 locations across Brooklyn, Queens and Nassau County before they closed their doors. The Brooklyn Blackout Cake undoubtedly put Ebinger’s on the map, becoming a famous food of NYC, but few people know it wasn’t always known as “Brooklyn blackout cake”!
3. I gotta ask - why do they call it Blackout cake?
The dessert formerly known as simply “chocolate fudge cake” got a rebrand during World War II. The Brooklyn Navy Yard would strategically and deliberately cause controlled power outages along the Brooklyn coastline in order to allow naval ships to leave and return to port discreetly. Brooklynites would be warned of the “blackouts” by public notice. Rebranding the lush, fudgy cake in recognition of these mandatory power outages put a positive spin on the tension and fear caused by wartime restrictions. What a sweet way for Brooklynites to come together around something positive!
4. Im sold. where can I find Brooklyn blackout cake in NYC today?
You can find the Brooklyn Blackout cake at The Good Batch in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, along with our other cakes. We’re preserving history because this historic treat is getting harder to come by. Brooklyn blackout cake is acknowledged as one of those famous and iconic foods that is slowly fading from the public consciousness. After the closure of Ebinger’s bakery locations, many people turned to their competitor: fellow Brooklyn bakery Entenmann’s blackout cake carried on the tradition for a while, but not anymore. So, what happened to Entenmann’s blackout cake? Unfortunately, Entenmann’s version of the Brooklyn blackout cake was discontinued, leaving a void in the hearts of blackout cake fans!
So what cake are you getting for your next special occasion? The Brooklyn Blackout or something even more classic…
