Brooklyn Blackout Cupcake Recipe

♫ Listening to: Blackout by Breathe Carolina ♫

These triple-chocolate, pudding-filled, fudge-frosted Brooklyn Blackout cupcakes are a vegan version of the Ebinger’s Brooklyn Blackout Cake from the 1950s. I first learned about Brooklyn Blackout Cake from PJ when they sent me this Brooklyn Blackout Cake news article and also this Brooklyn Blackout Cake article.

This recipe makes 12 Brooklyn Blackout Cake cupcakes.

Table of Contents

(click the links below to skip to the section you’re looking for)

• Blackout Cake Filling
• Blackout Cupcakes Recipe
• Brooklyn Blackout Frosting
• Blackout Cupcakes Tips
• Ingredient Substitutions

What is Brooklyn Blackout Cake?

The TLDR is that Ebinger Baking Company invented the Brooklyn Blackout Cake in New York before I was born. It was named after a time in Brooklyn during WWII where they turned out the lights as war ships were leaving so that enemy ships didn’t see the silhouette of the ships against the city lights.

The cake was a devil’s food chocolate cake with chocolate pudding inside, and a chocolate fudgy frosting. Being a chocoholic, I was obviously their target market because chocolate chocolate chocolate. Sadly, I was born too late, but fear not, because I’ve done my best attempt at recreating it, in cupcake form.

Brooklyn Blackout Cake Filling Ingredients

• ⅓ cup (67g) raw, vegan, or organic sugar
• ⅓ cup (35g) cocoa powder
• ¼ cup (30g) organic cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon (5g) salt
• 3 cups (720g) nondairy milk
• 1 teaspoon (5ml/5g) vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons (20g) of vegan chocolate chips (optional)

Brooklyn Blackout Cake Filling Directions

Sift and whisk the dry ingredients together: ⅓ cup (67g) sugar, ¼ cup (30g) cornstarch, ⅓ cup (35g) cocoa powder, and ¼ teaspoon (5g) pink sea salt (I try to use cocoa powder that’s fair trade).

Add 3 cups (720g) nondairy milk slowly while whisking, until it’s completely mixed.

Heat in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, whisking every minute or two. This can take up to 20 minutes if your nondairy milk was in the fridge.

Whisk continuously for 2-3 minutes, as soon as it starts to bubble and thicken.

Remove from heat, add 1 teaspoon (5ml/5g) vanilla, add 2 tablespoons (20g) vegan chocolate chips (optional, but makes the pudding taste more like dark chocolate pudding), and whisk until smooth.

Transfer to a heat-resistant container, cover it, and chill all day or overnight in the fridge.

Vegan Brooklyn Blackout Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients

• 1 cup (235ml/235g) nondairy milk
• 1 teaspoon (5ml/5g) apple cider vinegar
• 1 ¼ cups (163g) unbleached white flour
• ⅓ cup (35g) dutch cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda
• ½ teaspoon (2g) baking powder
• ⅓ cup (79ml/73g) sunflower oil
• ¾ cup (187g) raw, vegan, or organic sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5ml/5g) vanilla extract

Vegan Brooklyn Blackout Chocolate Cupcake Directions

Prep time: 20 minutes | Bake time: 18-20 minutes

Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Mix 1 cup (235ml/235g) nondairy milk with 1 teaspoon (5ml/5g) vinegar, and set it aside to thicken while you measure your dry ingredients.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl: ⅛ teaspoon salt (1g), ½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda, ½ teaspoon (2g) baking powder, 1 ¼ cups (163g) flour, and ⅓ cup (35g) dutch cocoa powder (sometimes called dutch processed or alkanized).

Whisk the dry ingredients until it’s all one color.

Add ⅓ cup (79ml/73g) sunflower oil, ¾ cup (187g) sugar, and 1 teaspoon (5ml/5g) vanilla extract to the vegan buttermilk (the nondairy milk and vinegar) and mix.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix just until you stop seeing any dry ingredients or lumps. I usually use a stand mixer fitted with a kitchenaid paddle attachment (but you can use a handheld electric mixer or even… mix by hand…gasp!).

Scoop the batter into the cubbies of your cupcake pans. I usually try to fill up each paper liner to the ⅔ or ¾ mark (these marks I speak of are imaginary marks invented with our minds, so don’t think you purchased inferior cupcake liners if you don’t see any actual measurements lines on them).

Bake at 350º in the centermost rack in your oven for 18-20 minutes, depending how hot your oven is. I bake mine for 18 minutes because my oven runs hot.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven as soon as when you insert a toothpick into the center of one, it comes out clean.

Cool the cupcake pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes and then carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan and set them on the cooling rack.

Fill the cupcakes with chocolate pudding once they’ve completely cooled. I do this by fitting a piping bag with Ateco Decorating Tip 231 and piping the pudding into the cupcakes, but another easy way if you don’t have those items is to cut an upside-down cone shape out of the top of the cupcake (down to about the middle) and spoon some pudding in and then press the cut out back into the cupcake.

Vegan Brooklyn Blackout Chocolate Fudge Frosting Ingredients

prep time: 15 min | cooling time: 10-30 min | decorating time: 15 min

• 1 cup (250ml/250g) nondairy milk
• 2 ½ cups (425g) vegan chocolate chips

Vegan Brooklyn Blackout Chocolate Fudge Frosting Directions

Heat 1 cup (250ml/250g) nondairy milk on the stove until it starts to simmer (or in the microwave for 30 seconds).

Add 2 ½ cups (425g) vegan chocolate chips and remove from heat, cover the pot, and swirl it around.

Wait for 5 minutes before uncovering and whisking the chocolate ganache until smooth and melted.

Cool the ganache for 10-30 minutes before decorating the cupcakes. It’s hard to say how long you need to cool it for, because the temperature of everyone’s house is different, but once it’s a scoopable consistency, it’s probably a pipable consistency. If you’re in a hurry, you can chill the ganache in the fridge to speed things up.

Fit a piping bag with Wilton star tip 1M and set it in a jar or glass ready to fill with ganache.

Fill the piping bag with the ganache once it has cooled.

Pipe ganache on top of cupcakes.

Decorate the top with vegan sprinkles or extra cake crumbs (optional). I used dappled sky sprinkles on these.

Tips on How to Make a Brooklyn Blackout Cake

• Make the chocolate pudding the night before so it has time to solidify
• Substitute arrowroot powder for cornstarch in the chocolate pudding recipe, if you avoid corn
• If you want your cupcakes to have the traditional chocolate cake crumbs, just crumble one of the cupcakes into crumbs to use
• These will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 weeks. Just remember to thaw the cupcakes for 1-2 hours on the counter before you’re ready to serve them or move them to the fridge the night before and then remove them from the fridge 20-30 minutes before you want to serve them.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Sugar: I used organic sugar because it’s super cheap at Costco. You can use any number of vegan sugars: sucanat, coconut sugar, raw sugar, organic sugar, or demerara. If you’re not sure if your sugar is vegan, you can contact the company and ask. Or just avoid conventional white sugar or granulated sugar, and you should be ok.
• Cocoa: I use fair trade, organic cocoa powder, but you can use whatever kind you have.
• Nondairy Milk: You can use almost any kind of vegan milk in the cake and filling. I used oatly chocolate milk because that’s what I had in my fridge. Otherwise, just buy the cheapest vegan milk you can find. In the cake batter, substitute the milk with water, coffee, or water mixed with nondairy creamer. You can also mix and match different nondairy milks. Milks I have used with success include macadamia milk, almond milk, oat milk, or soymilk. If you use soy milk, I recommend buying organic or non-GMO. I do NOT recommend using Ripple brand milk. Something about the pea protein absorbs the liquid and makes the cake dense, dry, and VERY healthy tasting.
• Vanilla Extract: If you don’t have vanilla extract, you can omit it, but the cake will taste much better if you include it. I use 100% pure vanilla extract or flavorings because they’re higher quality. If the ingredients don’t specifically say vanilla bean, you might be eating chemicals that were created to replicate the taste of vanilla. Yes, the world is a weird place. Vegan Chocolate Chips: I use Pascha chocolate chips because they organic, vegan, and fair trade. You can find less expensive vegan chocolate chips at Trader Joe’s.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: You can replace the apple cider vinegar in this recipe with the same amount of lemon juice, white vinegar, or lime juice. You just need some sort of acid to interact with the alkalinity of the baking soda to make the cupcakes rise.
• Flour: I used unbleached, all-purpose flour when I made these cupcakes. If you prefer to use whole grain flours, replace the white flour in this recipe with cake flour, wheat flour, spelt flour, or whole wheat pastry flour. It will taste healthier with some of these flours though. You can also replace the flour in this recipe with your favorite gluten-free flour blend if you’re making these cupcakes for someone who avoids gluten.
• Dutch Cocoa: Dutch cocoa powder is sometimes called alkalized cocoa. You cannot replace this with natural cocoa powder without modifying other ingredients.
• Baking Soda: Out of baking soda? Replace the ½ teaspoons (3g) baking soda with an extra ½ tablespoon (6g) baking powder.
• Baking Powder: I use the non-aluminum baking powder, because I need all the brain cells I have left. Out of baking powder? Replace the ½ teaspoon (2-3g) baking powder in this recipe with an extra ⅛ teaspoon (1g) baking soda.
• Oil: I recommend safflower, sunflower, avocado, or coconut oil for baking. These oils are good for high heat, which helps you avoid transfats. But, you can use any other plant-based oil. Examples are vegetable oil, canola oil, and grapeseed oil. People even make cakes with olive oil, but I don’t recommend it.

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I mostly cook with organic ingredients, but only specify organic when it’s necessary to ensure the item is vegan.

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