Cake
While many of us might not feel like celebrating (there is that little thing called a pandemic going on), sometimes we just need a little something to celebrate. How 'bout we're all still holding on? That's a start! And what dessert says celebrate the way cake does?
With that in mind, here are six cake recipes to help you through the day, including Rocky Road Cake, Devil's Food Cake with Hazelnut Crunch, and two versions of Poor Man's Cake. Enjoy!
SEIS LECHES CAKE
This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, "This recipe for a tres leches cake (a traditional syrup-soaked confection from Latin America) takes a good thing — namely the combination of milks that saturate its crumb — and doubles it. Instead of just the usual three milks (sweetened condensed, evaporated and heavy cream), it calls for six, adding coconut milk, condensed coconut milk and dulce de leche. Like the original version, it’s a dense, puddinglike cake flavored with cinnamon and rum. But here, notes of coconut and caramel lend complexity and even more richness. Serve this in small squares, preferably with a bitter espresso or some tea to sip between syrupy bites."
Yield: 18 servings; Time: 1 hour, plus cooling and chilling
This was featured in "A Milky Cake Where More Is More", and be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020805-seis-leches-cake.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, plus more softened butter for greasing the pan
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus a pinch
6 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk (a 7-ounce can, or use more regular condensed milk)
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons dark or amber rum
1 cup dulce de leche
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, melted butter, milk and vanilla.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk or beaters, set on medium speed, beat the egg whites until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream of tartar, and beat until thick, fluffy and white but before peaks form, another 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, a little at a time, and continue beating until the whites are glossy and firm peaks form when the beaters are lifted, another 3 to 5 minutes.
Whisk half the flour mixture into the yolks (it will seem like paste). Whisk a quarter of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in another quarter of the whites. Sift half of the remaining flour mixture over the batter and fold in. Fold in another quarter of the egg whites followed by the rest of the sifted flour and finally the rest of the whites. Scrape batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.
Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
While the cake is cooling, in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed coconut milk, condensed milk, rum and a pinch of salt. Heat until steaming, stirring to dissolve any lumps.
Use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the warm cake, then cut it into 18 pieces but don’t take the pieces out of the pan. Pour milk mixture evenly over the cake. Cover and chill cake for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight (or up to 3 days).
No more than 4 hours before serving, spread 3/4 cup dulce de leche over top of the cake. Whip the cream with the remaining 1/4 cup dulce de leche until thick and mousse-like. Spread the whipped cream on the cake, and sprinkle with more cinnamon.
CHOCOLATE DUMP-IT CAKE
This is from Amanda Hesser in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Amanda wrote, "A couple of years ago, my mother taught me to make her dense but moist chocolate birthday cake. She calls it 'dump-it cake' because you mix all of the ingredients in a pot over medium heat, then dump the batter into a cake pan to bake. For the icing, you melt Nestlé's semisweet-chocolate chips and swirl them together with sour cream. It sounds as if it's straight from the Pillsbury Bake-Off, but it tastes as if it's straight from Payard. Everyone loves it."
Yield: 10 servings; Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
This was featured in "Food Diary; Personal Best", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9404-chocolate-dump-it-cake.
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups Nestle's semisweet-chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a baking sheet on the lowest rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes on the middle rack. In a 2- to 3-quart pot, mix together the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of water. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until all of the ingredients are melted and blended. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vinegar. Grease and flour a 9-inch tube pan (Tip: Be meticulous, and really work the butter and flour into the crevices of the pan. This is a moist cake, so it really needs a well-prepared pan to keep it from sticking).
When the chocolate in the pot has cooled a bit, whisk in the milk mixture and eggs. In several additions, and without overmixing, whisk in the dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla and whisk once or twice to blend. Pour the batter into the tube pan and bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack. (This can be tricky -- if someone is around to help, enlist him.) Let cool completely.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, then let cool to room temperature. Stir in the sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth.
When the cake is cool, you may frost it as is or cut it in half so that you have 2 layers. There will be extra icing whether you have 1 or 2 layers. My mother always uses it to make flowers on top. She makes a small rosette, or button, then uses toasted slices of almond as the petals, pushing them in around the base of the rosette.
DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH HAZELNUT CRUNCH
This is from Bon Appetit, and begins, "Devil's food cake doesn't need a lot of improvement, but trust us on the hazelnut crunch." Makes 12 - 16 servings
View this online at https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/devil-s-food-cake-with-hazelnut-crunch.
Ingredients
Cake
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2-1/3 cups cake flour
1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 cup hot coffee
1 cup buttermilk
2-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 70%), melted, cooled slightly
Hazelnut Crunch
1/4 cup hazelnuts
2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 70%), chopped
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup Nutella
3 cups toasted rice cereal
Frosting and Assembly
8 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Scharffen Berger), chopped
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61%), chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Directions
Cake
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat the bottom and sides of cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment-paper rounds; spray paper.
Sift cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and baking powder into a medium bowl; set aside. Dissolve espresso powder in hot coffee in a medium bowl and whisk in buttermilk; set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating between additions and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Beat on high speed until doubled in volume and very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape bottom of bowl well, making sure to incorporate all butter into eggs. Beat for 1 minute longer.
With mixer on low speed, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with coffee mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. With mixer running, drizzle in chocolate and mix until just blended. Divide batter evenly among cake pans; smooth tops.
Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25–30 minutes. Transfer to wire racks. Let cakes cool in pans for 30 minutes.
Invert cakes onto racks; peel off parchment and let cool completely. DO AHEAD: Cakes can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Hazelnut Crunch
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out nuts on sheet. Toast until fragrant, 6–7 minutes. Coarsely chop nuts; set aside. Line same baking sheet with a fresh sheet of parchment paper; let cool.
Combine chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water. Heat mixture, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over saucepan. Stir in hazelnuts and Nutella. Fold in toasted rice cereal. Spread mixture out on prepared sheet; don't worry about spreading it evenly. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes.
Using your hands, break crunch into small pieces. DO AHEAD: Hazelnut crunch can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
Frosting and Assembly
Combine both chocolates and corn syrup in a medium bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan; pour over chocolate mixture. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat until cool, 5–6 minutes.
Add butter a few pieces at a time; beat until incorporated between additions. Continue to beat mixture until thick and lightened in color, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer and up to 15 minutes with a handheld mixer (if mixture seems very thin, stop occasionally and chill in refrigerator to firm it up before continuing to beat).
Using a serrated knife, cut off domed top from each cake to create even layers. Place 1 cake layer on a large plate. Using an offset spatula, spread about 1 cup frosting on top of cake. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup hazelnut crunch over frosting. Place second cake layer on top; press to adhere (this will ensure that the frosting will hold the layers together). Repeat process with another 1 cup frosting and 1/2 cup hazelnut crunch. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.
Decorate top of cake with more hazelnut crunch, if desired. Chill cake until frosting is set, 3–4 hours. DO AHEAD: Cake can be assembled 2 days ahead. Cover with a cake dome and keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
ROCKY ROAD CAKE
I was taking a speech class at a local junior college. One week we had to give a demonstration speech; one lady demonstrated how to make this cake, passing out copies of the recipe along with pieces of cake. It’s absolutely delicious. The icing can be used on almost any kind of cake; it would be really good on carrot cake!
Ingredients
1 C chopped nuts
4 eggs
1 C raisins
1 C mayonnaise
1 C mini-marshmallows
1 C water
6 oz. package of chocolate
1 package (18.25 oz) Devil’s Food cake mix w/pudding
Directions
Grease and flour 2 9" pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first four ingredients in medium-size bowl. In large bowl at low speed, mix cake mix, eggs, may and water until blended. Increase speed to medium & beat for 2 minutes. Stir in nut mixture. Pour into greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes on cooling rack.
ICING (for Rocky Road Cake)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 box confectioners sugar
Place ingredients in bowl and cream together. When cake is cool, ice. ENJOY!
POOR MAN'S CAKE
Maryann and I went to high school together, then wrote back and forth for years. She managed to visit twice, two years apart. In one letter, she sent along this and the next recipe. "Maybe my cousin’s recipe," she wrote. We've since lost touch, but I've often wondered whatever happened to her.
Ingredients
1 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 C water
2 C flour, shifted
1/3 C oil
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 C raisins
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
Directions
Mix brown sugar, water, oil, raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon in pan. Boil 3 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients. Bake in square pan in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 35 minutes.
POOR MAN'S CAKE #2
Aunt Sammy’s Depression Days
Maryann wrote, "Mom’s recipe. 1931 era. Don’t know if it’s (era) important or not."
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 C sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C bread crumbs
Directions
Mix all ingredients together, blending well by hand. Grease 8X8" baking pan. Press mix into pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Add raisins, fruit, or wine if available.
With that in mind, here are six cake recipes to help you through the day, including Rocky Road Cake, Devil's Food Cake with Hazelnut Crunch, and two versions of Poor Man's Cake. Enjoy!
SEIS LECHES CAKE
This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, "This recipe for a tres leches cake (a traditional syrup-soaked confection from Latin America) takes a good thing — namely the combination of milks that saturate its crumb — and doubles it. Instead of just the usual three milks (sweetened condensed, evaporated and heavy cream), it calls for six, adding coconut milk, condensed coconut milk and dulce de leche. Like the original version, it’s a dense, puddinglike cake flavored with cinnamon and rum. But here, notes of coconut and caramel lend complexity and even more richness. Serve this in small squares, preferably with a bitter espresso or some tea to sip between syrupy bites."
Yield: 18 servings; Time: 1 hour, plus cooling and chilling
This was featured in "A Milky Cake Where More Is More", and be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020805-seis-leches-cake.
Ingredients
5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, plus more softened butter for greasing the pan
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus a pinch
6 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk (a 7-ounce can, or use more regular condensed milk)
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoons dark or amber rum
1 cup dulce de leche
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, melted butter, milk and vanilla.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk or beaters, set on medium speed, beat the egg whites until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream of tartar, and beat until thick, fluffy and white but before peaks form, another 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, a little at a time, and continue beating until the whites are glossy and firm peaks form when the beaters are lifted, another 3 to 5 minutes.
Whisk half the flour mixture into the yolks (it will seem like paste). Whisk a quarter of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in another quarter of the whites. Sift half of the remaining flour mixture over the batter and fold in. Fold in another quarter of the egg whites followed by the rest of the sifted flour and finally the rest of the whites. Scrape batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.
Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
While the cake is cooling, in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed coconut milk, condensed milk, rum and a pinch of salt. Heat until steaming, stirring to dissolve any lumps.
Use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the warm cake, then cut it into 18 pieces but don’t take the pieces out of the pan. Pour milk mixture evenly over the cake. Cover and chill cake for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight (or up to 3 days).
No more than 4 hours before serving, spread 3/4 cup dulce de leche over top of the cake. Whip the cream with the remaining 1/4 cup dulce de leche until thick and mousse-like. Spread the whipped cream on the cake, and sprinkle with more cinnamon.
CHOCOLATE DUMP-IT CAKE
This is from Amanda Hesser in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Amanda wrote, "A couple of years ago, my mother taught me to make her dense but moist chocolate birthday cake. She calls it 'dump-it cake' because you mix all of the ingredients in a pot over medium heat, then dump the batter into a cake pan to bake. For the icing, you melt Nestlé's semisweet-chocolate chips and swirl them together with sour cream. It sounds as if it's straight from the Pillsbury Bake-Off, but it tastes as if it's straight from Payard. Everyone loves it."
Yield: 10 servings; Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
This was featured in "Food Diary; Personal Best", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9404-chocolate-dump-it-cake.
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups Nestle's semisweet-chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a baking sheet on the lowest rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes on the middle rack. In a 2- to 3-quart pot, mix together the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of water. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until all of the ingredients are melted and blended. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vinegar. Grease and flour a 9-inch tube pan (Tip: Be meticulous, and really work the butter and flour into the crevices of the pan. This is a moist cake, so it really needs a well-prepared pan to keep it from sticking).
When the chocolate in the pot has cooled a bit, whisk in the milk mixture and eggs. In several additions, and without overmixing, whisk in the dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla and whisk once or twice to blend. Pour the batter into the tube pan and bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack. (This can be tricky -- if someone is around to help, enlist him.) Let cool completely.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, then let cool to room temperature. Stir in the sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth.
When the cake is cool, you may frost it as is or cut it in half so that you have 2 layers. There will be extra icing whether you have 1 or 2 layers. My mother always uses it to make flowers on top. She makes a small rosette, or button, then uses toasted slices of almond as the petals, pushing them in around the base of the rosette.
DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH HAZELNUT CRUNCH
This is from Bon Appetit, and begins, "Devil's food cake doesn't need a lot of improvement, but trust us on the hazelnut crunch." Makes 12 - 16 servings
View this online at https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/devil-s-food-cake-with-hazelnut-crunch.
Ingredients
Cake
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2-1/3 cups cake flour
1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 cup hot coffee
1 cup buttermilk
2-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 70%), melted, cooled slightly
Hazelnut Crunch
1/4 cup hazelnuts
2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 70%), chopped
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup Nutella
3 cups toasted rice cereal
Frosting and Assembly
8 ounces high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Scharffen Berger), chopped
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61%), chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Directions
Cake
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat the bottom and sides of cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment-paper rounds; spray paper.
Sift cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and baking powder into a medium bowl; set aside. Dissolve espresso powder in hot coffee in a medium bowl and whisk in buttermilk; set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating between additions and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Beat on high speed until doubled in volume and very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape bottom of bowl well, making sure to incorporate all butter into eggs. Beat for 1 minute longer.
With mixer on low speed, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with coffee mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. With mixer running, drizzle in chocolate and mix until just blended. Divide batter evenly among cake pans; smooth tops.
Bake cakes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25–30 minutes. Transfer to wire racks. Let cakes cool in pans for 30 minutes.
Invert cakes onto racks; peel off parchment and let cool completely. DO AHEAD: Cakes can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Hazelnut Crunch
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread out nuts on sheet. Toast until fragrant, 6–7 minutes. Coarsely chop nuts; set aside. Line same baking sheet with a fresh sheet of parchment paper; let cool.
Combine chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water. Heat mixture, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over saucepan. Stir in hazelnuts and Nutella. Fold in toasted rice cereal. Spread mixture out on prepared sheet; don't worry about spreading it evenly. Freeze until set, about 30 minutes.
Using your hands, break crunch into small pieces. DO AHEAD: Hazelnut crunch can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
Frosting and Assembly
Combine both chocolates and corn syrup in a medium bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan; pour over chocolate mixture. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat until cool, 5–6 minutes.
Add butter a few pieces at a time; beat until incorporated between additions. Continue to beat mixture until thick and lightened in color, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer and up to 15 minutes with a handheld mixer (if mixture seems very thin, stop occasionally and chill in refrigerator to firm it up before continuing to beat).
Using a serrated knife, cut off domed top from each cake to create even layers. Place 1 cake layer on a large plate. Using an offset spatula, spread about 1 cup frosting on top of cake. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup hazelnut crunch over frosting. Place second cake layer on top; press to adhere (this will ensure that the frosting will hold the layers together). Repeat process with another 1 cup frosting and 1/2 cup hazelnut crunch. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.
Decorate top of cake with more hazelnut crunch, if desired. Chill cake until frosting is set, 3–4 hours. DO AHEAD: Cake can be assembled 2 days ahead. Cover with a cake dome and keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
ROCKY ROAD CAKE
I was taking a speech class at a local junior college. One week we had to give a demonstration speech; one lady demonstrated how to make this cake, passing out copies of the recipe along with pieces of cake. It’s absolutely delicious. The icing can be used on almost any kind of cake; it would be really good on carrot cake!
Ingredients
1 C chopped nuts
4 eggs
1 C raisins
1 C mayonnaise
1 C mini-marshmallows
1 C water
6 oz. package of chocolate
1 package (18.25 oz) Devil’s Food cake mix w/pudding
Directions
Grease and flour 2 9" pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first four ingredients in medium-size bowl. In large bowl at low speed, mix cake mix, eggs, may and water until blended. Increase speed to medium & beat for 2 minutes. Stir in nut mixture. Pour into greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes on cooling rack.
ICING (for Rocky Road Cake)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 box confectioners sugar
Place ingredients in bowl and cream together. When cake is cool, ice. ENJOY!
POOR MAN'S CAKE
Maryann and I went to high school together, then wrote back and forth for years. She managed to visit twice, two years apart. In one letter, she sent along this and the next recipe. "Maybe my cousin’s recipe," she wrote. We've since lost touch, but I've often wondered whatever happened to her.
Ingredients
1 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 C water
2 C flour, shifted
1/3 C oil
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 C raisins
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
Directions
Mix brown sugar, water, oil, raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon in pan. Boil 3 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients. Bake in square pan in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 35 minutes.
POOR MAN'S CAKE #2
Aunt Sammy’s Depression Days
Maryann wrote, "Mom’s recipe. 1931 era. Don’t know if it’s (era) important or not."
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 C sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C bread crumbs
Directions
Mix all ingredients together, blending well by hand. Grease 8X8" baking pan. Press mix into pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Add raisins, fruit, or wine if available.
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