All Cakes Considered - Melissa Gray [60]
I say, “Whip it!”
Sorry. I just had a Devo moment. Anyway, the recipe comes from The American Woman’s Cook Book, which was popular during the early to middle years of the twentieth century.
The crumb, according to my Mom, is fluffier and more delicate than Aunt Di’s because I use cake flour (she always used all-purpose), but the taste is dead-on.
As for the bittersweet-chocolate frosting, that’s still a work in progress. We know Aunt Di used cocoa, milk, butter, vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar for the frosting. We don’t know how much of each ingredient. I’ve got the taste right, but not the thick, fudgy consistency with that hardened outer shell, though I think it’s just a matter of time before I nail that.
What I’ve come up with in the meantime is good enough to rate as Melissa Block’s Number 1 Favorite Cake. If I don’t make one every few months or so, she’s sure to drop a couple of hints. Or she nudges other people to drop hints. She’s crazy persistent that way.
This cake can serve 16 to 24.
NEW TECHNIQUE ALERT!
UNMOLDING AND DIVIDING LAYERS, FROSTING LAYER CAKES
* * *
YOU’LL NEED
A whisk attachment for mixer
Three 8-inch round or two 9-inch round cake pans
3 medium mixing bowls
FOR THE CAKE
2 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FOR THE FROSTING (SEE TIP)
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
1 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
⅔ cup milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Tip: This recipe makes enough frosting for two 9-inch layers or three 8-inch ones. BUT, you can make more layers by cutting the baked layers in half horizontally (see page 159). If you do, double the recipe for the frosting.
TO MAKE THE CAKE
1. Place your mixer bowl and wire whisk attachment in the freezer. This will help when you’re whipping the cream in a few minutes.
2. Center a rack and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. To make it easy to unmold the cakes, use parchment paper to line the bottoms of those pans, and spray the sides with baking spray. (Dorie Greenspan calls this the “belt AND suspenders” method of greasing!)
4. In one bowl, measure out your sugar. In a second bowl, dry whisk your flour, salt, and baking powder together. In a third bowl, beat your eggs with a handheld mixer until thick.
5. OK, by this time, your mixing bowl and whisk attachment should be nice and cold. Remove them from the freezer and assemble on your mixer. Add the cream to the bowl and whip on medium-high to high speed until the cream holds its shape—basically, until it’s as thick as Cool Whip or softened ice cream. This should take 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Slow the mixer down to medium and add the beaten eggs. Return to medium-high speed and whip (I say whip it!) until the mixture is slightly foamy.
7. Slow the mixer down to medium and gradually add the sugar and then the vanilla extract.
8. Stop the mixer. Remove your whisk attachment and attach your regular paddle or beaters. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
9. With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the flour mixture.
10. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. OK. This part always drives me catnip crazy. Your goal is to bake 2 or 3 equal layers. You do that by dividing the batter equally among your cake pans. And I guarantee you’ll never get it absolutely perfect.
Some bakers use a kitchen scale. Others eyeball it, counting out spoonfuls. Still others use their plastic rulers and measure on the inside of the pan, running their finger or a brush through the floured-baking spray coating before pouring the batter to create a pour line.
I’ll say it again—you’re never going to get the layers absolutely