This week’s Sweet Melissa Sundays recipe is the Brooklyn Brownout Cake and was chosen by Elyse of Confectionery Creations! This is a truly decandent recipe: brownie crumbles sandwiched between two layers of chocolate cake which are then topped with chocolate ganache!
There are a number of steps to this recipe but as Melissa, the author of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book, said, they are all pretty simple. Of course, that probably assumes you’re not a huge procrastinator like me! I could have made the brownies in advance so I’d have had one less thing to do, but, you guessed it, I didn’t. (I made the brownies from the book but I’ll save that post for when the recipe is selected. For now, suffice it to say – YUM! Possibly my favorite brownie recipe ever.)
I finished the brownies last night and made the cake this morning. I used 8-inch cake pans instead of the 7-inch pans called for the in recipe so my cake layers were a bit short. The ganache comes together easily and was so wonderfully shiny! I also thought it was easy to work with and made frosting this cake fun (and I typically am not a fan of frosting layer cakes). I decided not to use the extra brownie crumbles on top of my cake because they weren’t all that visually appetizing. However, I thought the top of the cake needed something. First thing that came to mind was peanut butter chips (chocolate and peanut butter can’t go wrong) but when I checked the pantry I didn’t have any. I went with white chocolate chips instead just to add some visual interest and liked the effect!
After all the work to put this cake together I simply had to try some. OH MY GOODNESS! This is amazing! It’s incredibly rich and moist and chocolaty! The brownie crumbles between the layers aren’t really apparent in the photos but I could definitely taste them. They add a nice textural contrast to the cake. Because the cake is so rich I don’t feel tempted to eat too much of it so it’s actually the best possible kind of treat to keep around 🙂 I would definitely recommend keeping a glass of milk nearby with this one.
A huge thanks to Elyse for this week’s selection! She’ll have the recipe on her blog if you want to give it a try. So far so good with the recipes our group has tried from this wonderful book!
That looks insanely good…hmmm, now I know what to do with my haul of cheapo chocolate!
Oh this chocolate brownie cake looks dangerously delicious. Eager to see the recipe. I m dying for a slice.
Looks beautiful, the white chocolate is a great contrast. I liked this one too, especially cold the next day.
Tracey, you made a stunning cake! The brownie crumbles on the outside really are not attractive. And with the crumbles in the filling, I don’t think they’re necessary. Next time I’m copying you and leaving them off.
Nancy
Your cake looks great. I like the swirls on top. I also chose to use something “white” on top. Check it out when you get a chance (hopefully I’ll have it up tonight, otherwise tomorrow).
Tracey, your cake turned out great! Your ganache looks much better than mine… mine was so liquidy that everytime I poured some, it would just literally drip down the sides 🙁 The white chocolate chips were a great idea too!
Your cake looks divine!!! (compared to mine)
great job! i didn’t have time to make this due to the holiday but hope to join next week
Gorgeous job on the frosting. And I agree: it’s a wonderful cake but you just need a few bites.
Beautiful cake! Your ganache is perfect!
Tracey – this cake looks so perfect and I bet it tastes just delicious. Nice job! I’m impressed with your first attempt at macarons. I’m still hesitant to try them.
I think I officially have the ugliest cake of the week! Yours is gorgeous! Funny what you said about having a big glass of milk handy; I ate a lot of this cake all by myself, and while I kept thinking, “I need a big glass of milk,” I don’t think I actually ever got one. I just drank water!! Bleck!
Wow, your cake is so pretty and elegant and your layers look nice and even – I had a bit of a sinking problem. Love the white chips!
Tracey! Your cake looks so gorgeous. I mean, just stunning! And I hear you with the white chocolate to break up the monotony! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake. Oh, and I thought the brownies were amazing, too. Mmm, mmm. I have to keep myself away from this cake…it’s dangerous!
This looks absolutely fabulous!
This looks incredibly delicious. I love it. Chocolate is always a favorite for me and put it in a cake with choc frosting layers, Im in Heaven
I thought the individual components were really good – I just didn’t put it all together.
I love the contrast between the white chocolate and dark chocolate!
Wow!!! That looks amazing!! And you get cake and brownie??? I’m in heaven.
Oh wow this cake looks amazing–the black and white is so elegant!
This is absolutely amazing! Look at how gooey and moist. I love this!
Your cake looks gorgeous. I love the way you decorated it. This cake was so good, almost too good. I’m glad it’s gone now.
Your cake looks so beautiful! I don’t think I’d have been able to bring myself to cut it 🙂
Katie xox
mm i totally TOTALLY loved the brownie recipe, too – a definite would-make-again! and your cake looks so pretty! i love the way those white chips contrast with that deep dark brown chocolate cake! Gorgeous!
This is so beautiful I would never cut it. Well, if you cut me a slice, that would be different. And since you took a photo and have that forever, I guess I could eat half this cake! 🙂
Your cake looks picture perfect – my favorite of all the ones’s I’ve seen. You are a true talent.
You made tastespotting again!! Whoo!
Your cake looks absolutely gorgeous! The white chocolate chips are the perfect accent. I can’t wait to hear more about the brownie recipe–I’m always willing to try a new good one.
This recipe is really going to keep me busy in the kitchen with all its glamor.
This is another must for the weekend! My kids would just hug me for this.
Tracey, I can’t get to the recipe using the link. I am redirected to another site, so perhaps Melissa isn’t blogging any more? I drooled at your photos and would dearly love to have the recipe. Do you still have it?
@Fran – Thanks for alerting me about the broken link! I don’t have my copy of the book handy right now, but I found the recipe for you here: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/04/sweet-melissa-brooklyn-brownout-cake-recipe.html
Enjoy! 🙂