All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [54]
To keep this from happening you can plan ahead. First, grease the pans with solid vegetable shortening and dust them with flour. This forms a crust on the outside of the layers, and the crumbs are much less likely to rub off into the frosting. You can frost the cake with ease.
Second, frost the cake first with a thin skim coat of frosting, then go back and refrost the cake on top of this with a more generous hand. The skim coat seals in the crumbs and you can frost with no worries. To make an even more impenetrable crust, chill the cake for about ten minutes after applying the skim coating of frosting, then continue frosting.
MARYANN’S CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKEWITH CHOCOLATE SYRUP FROSTING
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, resident Maryann Wilkerson won one of my online recipe contests with this wonderful chocolate layer cake. It is just the sort of cake you want to take to someone’s birthday party, anniversary celebration, or picnic in the backyard. The secret ingredient is chocolate syrup, found in both the cake and the silky, fudgy frosting.
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pans
Flour, for dusting the pans
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or vanilla cake mix
1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
11/3 cups water
1 cup chocolate syrup
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Chocolate Syrup Frosting (page 482)
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray, then dust them with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pans aside.
serves:
12 to 16
prep:
35 minutes
bake:
30 to 35 minutes
cool:
25 minutes
Craving Cupcakes?
Maryann’s recipe is a natural for cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes (20 to 24, filled three quarters full) for 20 to 22 minutes at 350°F.
Recipe Reminders
MADE FOR
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
PREP NOTES
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
DON’T FORGET
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
SPECIAL TOUCHES
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, cocoa powder, water, chocolate syrup, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 1½ to 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Divide the cake batter evenly between the 2 prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.
3. Bake the cake layers until the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cake layers cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pans a good shake to loosen the cakes. Invert each layer onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Let the layers cool completely, 20 minutes longer.
4. Meanwhile, make the Chocolate Syrup Frosting.
5. To assemble the cake, transfer one layer, right side up, to a cake plate. Spread the top with some of the frosting. Place the second layer, right