Aunt Grace's Devil's Food Cake with Boiled Frosting

http://teriskitchen.com/shared-recipes/devils-food-cake-with-boiled-icing.html

(Shared recipe submitted by Joanna Figart.)

Makes one 9-inch double layer cake

Joanna included these comments written by her father, Wayne: "This recipe was always my Grandma Figart's 'go to' recipe for a fancy dinner dessert. Both Aunt Grace and Grandma Figart were tremendous cooks. They would literally spend the entire day thinking about and preparing for the evening meal. This cake is typical of their slow-food strategy. Fast food had not even been invented! Following my mother's death in 2009, I found this old recipe in her cookbook. I hope you enjoy. If I had to guess, I think this recipe dates back to about 1900. Both Aunt Grace and Grandma Figart were born in the late nineteenth century."

Ingredients

   Syrup for Cake

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 large egg, well beaten
• 1 cup milk

   Cake

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 2 large eggs, well beaten
• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

   Boiled Icing

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 5 large egg whites
• 2 tablespoons 10x powdered (confectioners') sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For syrup, combine sugar, cocoa and the beaten egg. Add milk and cook in double boiler until thick and smooth. Cool completely.

For the cake, cream shortening and sugar. Add well beaten eggs. Beat thoroughly. Sift flour, measure and sift again with baking soda and salt. Add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Add vanilla and cocoa syrup mixture, which has been cooled. Beat thoroughly. Pour in two well oiled and floured 9-inch cake pans. Bake in preheated 375° F oven 25 or 30 minutes until done. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans. Cool completely before frosting.

For frosting, boil sugar, water and syrup until syrup spins a thread (230° to 233° F). Beat egg whites until stiff then beat in powdered sugar. Continue beating and pour in boiling syrup, beating constantly. Add vanilla when beaters leave tracks in icing. Spread on cooled cake.

Disclaimer: This recipe was submitted by a contributor and has not been tested by TerisKitchen.com.

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