BLACK OWNED RESTAURANTS IN BROOKLYN RECIPES

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°. Line two 8x2"-deep round cake pans with parchment paper. Grease with butter, then dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess.
• Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and remaining ¾ cup cocoa powder into a medium bowl, then whisk to combine. Whisk egg, egg yolk, brown sugar, sour cream, oil, vanilla, salt, and ¾ cup hot water in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients until just combined.
• Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25–35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack; let cake cool completely in pan. Invert onto a plate, then invert again.
• Do Ahead: Cake can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
• Whisk cocoa powder and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Whisk in cream until smooth and no lumps remain. Add egg yolks, milk, brown sugar, and salt; whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, then reduce heat to low. Continue to cook, whisking, until thick and smooth, 1–2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add chocolate and vanilla, stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto surface of hot pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours.
• Using a serrated knife and sawing in long, even strokes, carefully halve cakes lengthwise. Set aside the 3 prettiest layers for assembly. Crumble remaining layer with your fingers into fine crumbs (or push through a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet). Place 1 layer, cut side up, on a platter or cake stand.
• Remove plastic from chilled pudding and vigorously whisk until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, spread half of pudding over cake layer on stand, spreading to edges. Top with another cake layer, cut side down, and spread remaining pudding over cake. Top with third cake layer cut side down (leave top bare). Chill cake 1 hour and up to 8 to let pudding firm up.
• Do Ahead: Pudding can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
• Bring cream, syrup, and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate, sour cream, and butter. Let sit, stirring occasionally, until chocolate and butter are melted and mixture is smooth and no streaks of white remain. Transfer to a medium bowl. Let frosting sit at room temperature, stirring every 30 minutes or so, until thickened and spreadable (it will look like a broken chocolate sauce at first, but magically, about 1½ hours later, it will start to thicken). Stir until smooth. (If your kitchen is warmer than 72°, chill frosting 5 minutes. Stir to combine cooler outer edges with warmer center, then chill another 5 minutes. It should be the consistency of sour cream; if not, chill another 5 minutes and stir.)
• Spread frosting all over top and sides of chilled cake. The frosting on top should be as smooth and level as possible, but it’s okay if the sides look messy; the crumbs will hide any mistakes you make.
• Place cake stand on a sheet tray. Take a handful of cake crumbs and press into sides of cake. Repeat, turning cake as you go, to completely cover sides in crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs on outside edges of top layer.
• Do Ahead: Cake can be assembled 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered.

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling generously salted water, stirring occasionally and adding asparagus when pasta has 1 minute left to go, until pasta is very al dente, about 3 minutes less than package directions.
• Meanwhile, combine garlic and oil in a medium Dutch oven or other high-sided pot and set over medium heat; season very generously with pepper. Cook, stirring often, until garlic is light golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in paprika; set aside.
• Place egg yolks in a medium bowl. Scoop out 1 cup cooking liquid from pasta and, whisking constantly, gradually add to egg yolks to temper. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Drain pasta and asparagus, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid; transfer pasta and asparagus to pot with reserved garlic oil. Set back over medium heat and toss to coat. Tossing constantly, add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid, followed by reserved yolk mixture, then ¾ cup Parmesan. Cook, tossing constantly and reducing heat as needed to keep mixture below a simmer, until cheese is melted and liquid thickens enough to coat pasta in a glossy, silky sauce, about 5 minutes. (This might be easier on your hands if you use 2 wooden spoons, as though you were tossing a salad, rather than trying to do it with 1 hand and a pair of tongs.) Add more reserved pasta cooking liquid if needed to loosen.
• Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with more Parmesan and a few grinds of pepper.