Recipes Discovered - Recipes

Read my review of this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup water

For the icing

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

For the cake: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly grease ten 9-inch cake pans, or use 2 or 3 cake pans at a time, and place a rounded piece of parchment paper in the bottom of each pan. The paper can be reused after the cakes bake.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer; beat on medium speed until light and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time; beat until smooth. Reduce the speed to low and add the sifted dry ingredients 1 cup at a time; beat until incorporated. Still on low speed, add the evaporated milk, then the vanilla and water, beating until well combined.

Place about 1/2 cup of batter in each of the cake pans; use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly. The batter should just cover the bottom of the cake pan. Bake 2 or 3 layers at a time on the middle oven rack anywhere from 8 to 16 minutes. (A layer is done when you hold it near your ear and do not hear it sizzle.) As the cake layers are done, run a spatula around the edge of the pan and ease out the layers. Remove the parchment paper, and let them cool.

To make the icing: Combine the sugar and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chocolate and butter; warm through, stirring, until both have melted. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract, stirring to combine. The icing will be thin but will thicken as it cools. It will take about a half hour to the icing to be thick enough to spread. Stir it occasionally as it cools.

Place the bottom layer on a cake plate; spread 2 or 3 spoonfuls of icing on each layer. (Don’t worry if a layer tears; no one will notice when the cake is finished.) Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining icing; push any icing that runs onto the plate back onto the cake.

Nutrition:

Based on 16 cake slices: calories: 545, total fat: 26 g, saturated fat: 16 g, sodium: 121 mg, cholesterol: 121 mg, carbs: 74 g, fiber: 2 g, protein: 8 g

Substitutions:

I would make one and a half batches of the icing - it’s easier than going back and making more.

Recipe courtesy of The Washington Post.