The blackout cake was invented by a bakery in Brooklyn called, Ebinger’s. Most likely it was invited in 1898 when the bakery opened its doors but the name really made the cake famous during WWII.  The story goes, it was named after the mandatory blackouts to protect the naval yard in Brooklyn.  Sadly the bakery went bankrupt in 1972 and the family kept the recipes locked away and a secret. But what’s even more amazing to me is this personal connection. Sadly I was not able to ever experience Ebinger’s Blackout Cake since the bakery closed before I was born...but my dad lived in Brooklyn, 2 blocks away from Ebinger’s until he was 12 years old.  The blackout cake was my grandma’s favorite…well that and the coconut custard pie. My grandma, dad and aunt would walk to the bakery to get the cake. It of course became my dad’s and aunt’s favorite as well and why it's such a big part of my family.