331675 Thu Oct 05 17:18:03 -0700 2006 54 31 Home Cooking 0 1925203 Has anyone of suitable age and origin tried the recipe in Cook's Country magazine (current issue) for what is claimed to be an Ebinger's Blackout Cake? Cook's Country is a relatively new, folksy offshoot of Cooks Illustrated, a mag that that many of you hounds likely know. Cooks' recipe research is unlike any other, and some steps in the recipe (like "blooming" the cocoa in butter) lend hope. However, the cake that so many of us remember had a filling (pudding) and a frosting (buttercream) that were distinctly different while Cooks Country uses the pudding for both. My kitchen is being renovated, so baking is a problem, but if this recipe works, It'll be worth my doing anyway :-) I've tried several recipes over the years (Molly O'Neill; Gale Gand; others) and some of these tasted good, but none was anything like the Blackout cake that I remember. Cake guru Flo Braker claims that it wasn't the cake itself, but the memories of a forever lost time and place. I believed this for a while, but I've come to realize that it damn well WAS the cake! It seems inconceivable that Ebingers could disappear without a trace almost 35 years ago, yet so many people share the same memory of what must have been the best commercial bakery EVER. It seems equally inconceivable that hundreds of recipes that produced millions of cakes could have completely dematerialized. Thu Oct 05 17:18:03 -0700 2006 23411 embee 1 1926156 Ebinger's is my earliest memory of cake! My Chowhound profile lists it as my favorite comfort Chow! I don't remember it having 2 types of filling ..ie buttercream and pudding, ...only pudding...so this one may be closer to my memory of it...I'll get the issue and take a look at it... EBINGERS even the name makes me salivate.....yum..Mocha butter cream cake, White Mountain Bread.....those pale green boxes! Thu Oct 05 22:35:59 -0700 2006 1925203 10485 ChowFun_derek 1 1926833 I think it's at least possible that the pudding got stiffer as a result of being spread as a thin icing layer on the outside of the cake, then covered with those crumbs. That's always been my theory. OTOH, "The Brooklyn Cookbook" has different recipes for the filling and the frosting. Please bake it and let us know! Fri Oct 06 04:52:06 -0700 2006 1925203 10331 heidipie 1 1929065 The "Brooklyn Black-out" cake from Gale Gand's "butter sugar flour eggs" is a good one. And as heidipie mentioned, the custard is used to "ice" the cake before coating it with crumbs. Sat Oct 07 00:28:19 -0700 2006 1925203 20957 sweet ginger 1 2071503 I left New York 20 years ago and still remember Ebingers blackout cake. I found a recipe in a magazine last year for the cake that actually said that it was the same cake, but have since lost it and can't remember the magazine either, but I remember the filling and frosting to be the same pudding exactly, just dryer on the outside. I can't seem to find that Cooks County recipe, can you get it to me? I stumbled on a web site that you can actually order the genuine original cake, by the way, it stated that while they sold Ebinger, they would never publish the recipe! Tue Dec 05 15:42:33 -0800 2006 1925203 57775 MariaMMMMM 1 2071711 I remember Ebingers on Church Avenue in Brooklyn (and their competitor, Jeffries)---going back to when TROLLEY ran past it!...The Blackout cake was my fave. Is it possible to print a link or a facsimile of the recipe? One of my friends let's me choose any cake I'd like her to make for my birthday each year....the Blackout Cake would be a great choice. Tue Dec 05 16:46:00 -0800 2006 1925203 18755 howboy 1 2071731 Gale Gand's recipe gets rave reviews from Ebinger fans whenever I make it. I get Cooks and can't remember seeing that recipe .... Tue Dec 05 16:51:43 -0800 2006 1925203 43893 C. Hamster 2 2162423 The recipe is in Cook's Country, their new magazine, NOT in Cook's Illustrated. Sun Jan 07 18:35:07 -0800 2007 2071731 10644 Nancy Berry 1 2163122 It was most definitely NOT buttercream frosting, something I can't stand. But, embee, you're absolutely right - it damn well was the cake. My family loved it. While it was not my favorite one of their products, it was the best blackout cake I ever remember eating. Their Boston cream Pie was my favorite and bore no resemblance to any I've had in the Boston area, where I've been living for the last 30 years. Sun Jan 07 23:00:03 -0800 2007 1925203 41112 JRL 1 3282151 The last I heard, was that the Ebinger family had all there recipes locked up in a safe place and was not interested in selling any of them. My mother knew Charlie Enterman and he was trying to obtain them. The company in Brooklyn on Ft Hamilton Pkwy really didn't have any of the original recipes, although they told me that they did and were selling their wares. I tried one or two of their cakes which I didn't like. I didn't see any of the cakes that I remembered from my youth. I was more of a Apricot or Strawberry Chiffon Pie fan and their cream puffs were great as well. When I was lucky enough to get to go to their thrift shop a few blocks north of Sears Roebuck I would be in heaven. But I was very small and so without any of my own money I had to rely on my mother's whim's. Thu Jan 10 13:09:12 -0800 2008 1925203 156336 asianteasets 1 3283013 I make this cake for birthdays and retirement parties. It is always requested and most chocolate people love it. In fact, my sister has requested it for her birthday next week. It is a little messy but the pudding used as a frosting and filling is better than good. The cake crumbs used on the outside make the pudding seem more like a frosting. It is one of my favorite chocolate cakes. I made the mile high chocolate cake from the current issue of Gourmet which they said might replace all of your other chocolate cake recipes. It was time consuming and lacked chocolate flavor. Waste of my time but looked great. The blackout cake has a really good deep chocolate flavor, nice crumb and I prefer the pudding to butter cream. While it takes a little time to make the pudding and a mess attaching the crumbs, it is well worth it. Thu Jan 10 16:33:15 -0800 2008 1925203 125563 Good_Food 1 3539478 Ebinger's closed when i was 8 and I have very only a faint memory of their cake. But this recipe recently appeared in a best of Cook's illustrated, and it is wonderful. It was perfect except for one thing--the cakes stuck in the pans and broke too much to make three layers. They say to butter and flour the pan; I would add some parchment next time. Go for it! Fri Mar 28 21:12:44 -0700 2008 1925203 21222 spgayle 2 3541091 Oh, yes, we remember the Blackout Cake! Like so many others I only remember the chocolate pudding filling and ---- in my memory --- a chocolate pudding topping. (My husband says sternly, "No crumbs.") I'm away from home and don't have my copy on hand, but I'm pretty sure in Arthur Schwartz' New York Food (the definitive! by the definitive New York food maven) there is a recipe for Ebinger's Blackout Cake. Sat Mar 29 14:27:26 -0700 2008 3539478 137881 BerkshireTsarina 1 3544635 Sounds like a really wonderful and special cake.....Just Google for "Ebinger's Blackout Cake". Several websites will appear, but I notice that each recipe has it's own "tweak" to it, so can't tell what the original actually was. This is one that I copied off: http://www.mail-archive.com/cake-recipe@yahoogroups.com/msg00536.html New York Times also had a recipe. Mon Mar 31 00:02:17 -0700 2008 1925203 65993 Lisbet 2 3546339 It definitely WAS covered in chocolate cake crumbs, but I still maintain I didn't notice a difference in frostings...it seemed chocolate pudding like (firmer) and used inside as well as out... Arthur Schwartz mentions Ebinger's and its' Blackout cake, but no recipe... Mon Mar 31 12:18:50 -0700 2008 3544635 10485 ChowFun_derek 2 3546369 The one in the NYTimes was Molly O'neill's Mon Mar 31 12:26:05 -0700 2008 3544635 10485 ChowFun_derek 1 4066380 ATK's new show (Cook's Country) had it on today. Pudding on outside and in layers. Looked AMAZING and moist. COuldn't get to paper quick enough to write down what they were saying. Sat Sep 27 14:34:38 -0700 2008 1925203 79652 itryalot 2 4066951 the cake was good, but I'm going to try a different pudding for filling and icing. I've made it a few times and would like a bit deeper flavor and smoother texture. Sat Sep 27 21:12:22 -0700 2008 4066380 220415 petitgateau 2 4067255 You can get the recipe on ATK.com. When its shown on TV, the recipe is availble online and its free. Sun Sep 28 06:32:13 -0700 2008 4066380 190009 Calipoutine 3 4219773 You'll have much better luck finding the recipe at www.cookscountrytv.com Thu Dec 04 07:14:54 -0800 2008 4067255 40284 AmyH 4 4220041 It's there, but only available to subscribers so you either need to join or sign up for the free 2-wk trial. Thu Dec 04 08:58:40 -0800 2008 4219773 159317 greygarious 5 4220125 I registered for free and the blackout cake is available, for free. There are other recipes for which you have to pay, but the blackout cake is not one of them. http://www.cookscountrytv.com/recipes/login.asp?docid=7814 Thu Dec 04 09:32:25 -0800 2008 4220041 11104 dolores 6 4220242 Tried again(I'd already done the free reg), clicked the title in the middle of the page, and you're right - before, I clicked on chocolate blackout cake under the Premium Content section at the right, and that came back as requiring subscription. Thu Dec 04 10:08:59 -0800 2008 4220125 159317 greygarious 1 4067258 I made the one from Trish Boyle's The cake Book. It was amazing!! Sun Sep 28 06:34:14 -0700 2008 1925203 190009 Calipoutine 1 4155265 I remember the Ebinger's on Brighton Beach Avenue in Brooklyn. The cake was incredible. I have tried many times to duplicated it, not even close. I saw the recipe in "Cook's Country." Has anyone tried it and can compare it to the original? Years later some company put out what they called Ebinger products sold in supermarkets...definitely NOT. I also remember these wonderful small rectangular yellow layered cakes with raspberry jelly between the layers and chocolate icing surrounding the cake. I think my mother called them Jennies. I would love the recipe for them. Someone mentioned the 2 Red Hens for the blackout cake. Their cake is very good, but not Ebinger's. Thu Nov 06 22:29:34 -0800 2008 1925203 237950 brooklynbabe 2 4155740 Ebinger's on the Avenue? Near which street? I lived in Brighton in the 70's and 80's and my Dad lived there since the 20's (still lives there). I don't remember an Ebinger's there and I know he never mentioned one. I do know that pretty much all the Brooklyn bakeries, including the 2 or 3 on the Avenue that I do remember (SeaLane, anyone?) did knock-offs of the blackout cake, though. Fri Nov 07 07:44:09 -0800 2008 4155265 25244 rockycat 3 4220243 Sealane-wow! What a blast from the the past (the '60's and 70's). Was a must stop whenever we visited my grandmother on Brighton 4th and made special trips to Brooklyn even after she was gone. Never tried their blackout cake, but they had the best apple cake, great cheese danish, chocolate danish and, IIRC, marble cake, too. Thu Dec 04 10:10:07 -0800 2008 4155740 41112 JRL 1 4217223 I am of suitable age, but no experience on Eginger's Blackout Cake. I have "The Best of America's Test Kitchen" 2008 cookbook and found their version in it. I made it yesterday and took it to a party. All fourteen of us were standing around the kitchen with a slice of cake and as soon as everyone started tasting it, I was asked to explain the cake. It was that good. No one had heard of it before and I am making two more this weekend for parties. The pudding/custard is perfect as filling and frosting. I thought the cake batter was really thin going in the pans, but it came out perfect. I followed the directions exactly and the cakes came out of the pan just fine. It is a chocolate lovers dream. Wed Dec 03 08:48:20 -0800 2008 1925203 245300 joannsz 2 4217232 I would love to see pictures and recipes. Wed Dec 03 08:51:15 -0800 2008 4217223 79652 itryalot 1 4220136 Mmmmmm Ebinger's. My knees go weak just remembering their stuff and I lived in a Scandinavian nabe (8th Ave) that never lacked for good bakeries too! Thu Dec 04 09:36:55 -0800 2008 1925203 13609 Scagnetti 1 4301075 I made this recipe over the weekend. Overall, I was pretty happy with it. However, I wasn't too crazy about the pudding recipe as it was very cornstarch heavy and I could taste it even though I cooked the cornstarch thoroughly. I'd probably prefer a pudding recipe that contains less cornstarch and perhaps more eggs to thicken it up. However, the cake batter was delicious. It does seem a bit thin for cake batter but made a really moist delicious cake. So I'll definitely make the cake part again, but will probably look for a different pudding recipe. Tue Jan 06 11:37:18 -0800 2009 1925203 10763 Miss Needle 2 4371720 Huh, I guess my tastebuds aren't as good as yours. I couldn't really taste the cornstarch. I got a nice, rich chocolate pudding with a nice salty undertone to cut the sweetness. Loved it. I made Ebinger's Blackout cupcakes and they were gone in minutes. Thu Jan 29 22:13:31 -0800 2009 4301075 10246 choctastic 3 4385114 Oh my Goodness, what memories this brings for me. My cousins and I were just looking at pictures of my Grandmother working at Ebingers in Brooklyn (which is where we're all from). She used to make and bake everything including blackout cakes. We're gonna have to check the file box. Tue Feb 03 16:48:50 -0800 2009 4371720 221467 Treesh 4 4386282 OMG! If you've got an authentic Ebingers recipe you are in possession of a treasure. Please let us know what you find. Wed Feb 04 07:02:13 -0800 2009 4385114 25244 rockycat 4 4416515 I can't believe the comments you get when searching for Choclate Blackout Cake! I'm from Brooklyn and yes, my knees too do get weak whenever I remember the fabulous cakes from Ebingers! I can't believe that no one has their recipes; that they just closed down and poof! no more recipes! I've downloaded several versions of this cake, but have never had the nerve to try it. This Friday is my 60th birthday and I've decided that it will never be a better time to take the plunge. BTW, my Ebingers was in Boro Park, on 13th ave. Please...if anyone has any other Ebingers recipes, please post them! Sat Feb 14 01:33:47 -0800 2009 4385114 266716 tinydancer1965 4 4416521 PS: Dean & DeLuca on lower Broadway in the E Village sells Chocolate Blackout Cake for anyone who really needs a fix. I've had it and it's the real thing. Maybe they have the original recipe? Sat Feb 14 01:44:33 -0800 2009 4385114 266716 tinydancer1965 4 4628243 I can't stand it! Were you able to find the original recipe in your file box? Does anyone have the original? Sat Apr 25 13:59:14 -0700 2009 4385114 286111 gbakes 5 4628437 NOBODY has ever seen any of these recipes. That's the problem. What I really can't understand, and I sure do try, is why they kept everything secret. They went bankrupt, with no hope of a future revival, after opening too many suburban stores too quickly. These recipes would have been worth a fortune to someone. Many of their cakes were unique to them. I remember a cupcake with a white coconut layer, an intense chocolate layer, and a crunchy macaron top that I've NEVER seen anywhere else. The blackout cake was famous, and they literally made millions of everything. Sat Apr 25 15:55:17 -0700 2009 4628243 23411 embee 4 5234475 Wow, if you could get the yellow cake recipe with hard chocolate icing on the outside and chocolate buttercream inside that would be fantastic. I am 69 years old and have never found a bakery anywhere that could compare to Ebinger's. We had one on Avenue J and those cakes were the highlight of my childhood. Blackout cake, Othellos and this yellow cake. Mon Dec 07 13:43:45 -0800 2009 4385114 1130118 Avenue K 1 4416893 I am not of the right vintage to know how this recipe compares to the original - and my folks who have extremely vivid memories of other Ebinger's cakes don't actually remember the chocolate blackout cake (though my mom fell into a dream-like reverie at the mention of Ebinger's, but her family always bought the buttercream cake she says). Anyway, I tried the Cook's Country recipe yesterday and had a mini-crises when the pudding totally didn't set at all - but since it seems like a pretty standard cornstarch pudding recipe, I suspect either I seriously screwed something up or failed to appropriately take account of the fact that my stovetop is barely functional (ktichen reno here I come . . . ). Regardless, the cake served with the liquid not-pudding poured over top was delicious. Really great flavors. I'm definitely going to try again to assemble this cake as its supposed to be made one of these days. Sat Feb 14 07:58:23 -0800 2009 1925203 10320 The Turtle Bay Dove 2 5234493 The buttercream cake she is talking about is yellow cake with chocolate buttercream filling and a hard chocolate icing on the outside. THE BEST!! Never have found anything like it anyplace. Ebinger's will never be duplicated. My daughter tried the blackout cake from the recipe's posted but it was not exactly the same. Close but no cigar! The pudding inside was not the same. Mon Dec 07 13:46:36 -0800 2009 4416893 1130118 Avenue K 1 4556861 Back in the early '90's (1992 or '93) one of the NY newspapers published the Ebinger's recipe for the Blackout Cake. The 3 components are cake, filling and frosting. I made the recipe and thought 2 of the processes for these components (cake & filling) were rather bizarre. While my first attempt was sort of successful, I had questions about the results I was getting. I got in touch with the author of the article and she told me that the results I was getting were right on target. At the time I was a new pastry chef (2d career) in a New England city having transplanted myself from NY. I am of suitable age and origin and I can tell you I'm not old enough yet to have memory failure. I made the cake again and again (including the single marischino cherry on top, thank you) and was able to perfect it for service in the restaurant at which I worked (owned by a Brooklyn transplant). Each time I trotted this cake out on my dessert menu it was a hit. Nevertheless, in a nod to authenticity, I believe the recipe I have is as authentic as you can get. In researching this reply, I came across Molly O'Neill's recipe from her "New York Cookbook" (1992). To my suprise I compared the recipe I have with her's and it's identical, leading me to believe that it may have been her I spoke with way back when. The bottom line is, the net result of O'Neill's recipe matches my memory of what this cake tasted and looked like. The Cook's Country recipe frosts a cake with pudding. While that process is not unheard of, I don't remember the Ebinger's Black Out cake being that way, texturally. By secreting the Ebingers' recipes, the heirs to this legendary baking company may be thinking they're protecting their legacy for future generations; but if there's no one left with a frame of reference to appreciate it, what is the point? Just like the famous bakery products, there's a shelf-life to the recipes that is generational. The heirs should get a clue and publish this for all to enjoy while there's still some of us alive who would appreciate a book. Time is running out. Wed Apr 01 06:09:49 -0700 2009 1925203 278123 Duspin 2 4629184 Her recipe was not really close to the original..which definitely had no cherry..sorry.....still haven't tried this recipe (ATK) but I did buy the cake pans..!. my Ebingers was on Kings Highway just off Coney Island Avenue! Sun Apr 26 01:31:05 -0700 2009 4556861 10485 ChowFun_derek 3 4629483 We lived a couple of blocks from the bakery. When the wind was right, we got the smell. We seldom went to the thrift shop, though. There were long lineups and most of their stuff only had a one day life. The nearest store was on Flatbush Av, next to Macy's. I had forgotten about this, but - in the early fifties - they used electric delivery vans that were plugged in on Snyder Av every night. Sun Apr 26 07:42:04 -0700 2009 4629184 23411 embee 2 5238425 I checked the NY Times archive and found this article, recipe on page 3. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/05/garden/the-cake-box-from-heaven-brooklyn-of-course-is-back.html Tue Dec 08 22:31:29 -0800 2009 4556861 24401 josie888 1 4629511 Being a Southerner, I don't know Ebinger's, but I made that "mile high" chocolate cake in the current Gourmet and loved it. I DID substitute King Arthur's Black Cocoa for the paler one called for. I go through that black cocoa like Grant through Richmond as it gives a very hearty "chocolate taste" as well as a gorgeous color to anything chocolate. I can only find it through their catalog, but it's worth the additional expense. Try it in your next baking project. Enjoy! Sun Apr 26 07:53:41 -0700 2009 1925203 12094 amazinc 2 4640236 Which month Bon Apetit, please? You made that Black Cocoa sound so great that I just ordered some; hated to paying shipping charge but there's no other way to buy it. The order lady said it's sort of bitter and you must mix it with regular cocoa, like 1/4 black, 3/4 regular. Is this what you do? What else do you use it for, brownies? Wed Apr 29 15:10:35 -0700 2009 4629511 12520 walker 1 4629519 Oops. Sorry, it's not the current Gourmet but the current Bon Appetit. Who cal tell them apart anymore?? Sun Apr 26 07:55:52 -0700 2009 1925203 12094 amazinc 1 4656016 The cookbook, "Cooking up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from the Times-Picayune of New Orleans," includes a recipe for what is identified as the "Ebinger's All-Chocolate Blackout Cake." Tue May 05 10:24:07 -0700 2009 1925203 120709 Hungry Panda 1 4750398 I made this cake last night and it was a huge winner. It was like I had just gotten home from Ebinger's on Church Ave near McDonald Ave, opened the green box and dug in! The only two issues I had with making the cake were that the pudding was fairly runny, even after chilling, and one of the cakes stuck to the pan a bit. Like another poster said, next time I'll use parchment paper in the pans. Even so, it worked out OK and after putting the cake together and chilling in the refrigerator ovenight, it's close to perfect. They say you can't go home again, but with this blackout cake, it'll taste like you did! Now, if I could only recreate Ebbets Field on a summer evening I'd really be in heaven. Sun Jun 07 11:20:19 -0700 2009 1925203 1081328 AnClar 2 4754968 Great News! Now if we could only find a recipe for the Mocha Buttercream Cake with the flaked almonds on the sides......!!! Mon Jun 08 19:28:59 -0700 2009 4750398 10485 ChowFun_derek 2 4755020 You need to keep cooking the pudding until it mounds in the pan when you pour some from the spoon. Then it sets up beautifully. Mon Jun 08 19:47:25 -0700 2009 4750398 62998 DebL 3 4762328 Thanks for the tip...I sorta thought it should have cooked a little longer, but whenever I first do a recipe, I try to follow it exactly...that's what I get for following the instructions...I'll know better next time. :-D My stove has kinda puny flame so I need to lengthen most cooking times. It was either that, or add a little more cornstarch. Thu Jun 11 00:32:01 -0700 2009 4755020 1081328 AnClar 1 4755037 My mother grew up in Brooklyn and has great memories of this cake. She and I made this recipe (it took an entire afternoon!). Her verdict - darn close; as close as she's gotten since Ebingers closed.. The smile on her face spoke volumes. Mon Jun 08 19:53:23 -0700 2009 1925203 14710 heathermb 1 4755055 Time for another go at this, though I'm convinced that the filling and frosting were different. Mon Jun 08 20:01:02 -0700 2009 1925203 23411 embee