New Year's Ever Cake

———————–CHOCOLATE CREAM FILLING———————–
3 Squares Baker’s Unsweetened 1/2 ts Salt
-Chocolate 2 Egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 c Milk 1 tb Butter
3/4 c Sugar 1 ts Vanilla
4 tb Swans Down Cake Flour

———————HUNGARIAN CHOCOLATE FROSTING———————
3 Squares Baker’s Unsweetened 2 1/2 tb Hot water
-Chocolate 3 Egg yolks
1 1/2 c Sifted confectioners’ sugar 4 tb Butter

Not being quite as temporarily enhanced as some of the other members
of the echo, I remember Kate Smith as an older buxom gal who could
really belt out a tune and was fond of wearing her trademark
low-hemmed, dark, long-sleeved, V-necked dresses. I was unaware that
in her younger days she had another persona. She was a radio
personality with a cooking show. I know ’cause last weekend I picked
up a copy of her 1940 cookbook, “Kate Smith’s Favorite Recipes,
Anniversary Edition”.

The cover is worth framing. It shows a very young Kate Smith in her
signature dress wearing a French maid type apron, bent forward a bit
at the waist and holding a wooden spoon up in her right hand. She
looks mostly like a clean shaven Dom Deluise in drag getting ready to
whack some unruly kid’s knuckles. The sponsors of her show were
Calumet Baking Powder and Swan’s Down Cake Flour, both of which I
believe are still going concerns. I think we should adopt Kate as the
patron saint of the echo and distribute a .gif of the cover of this
book with the “Cast” .gifs.

Here’s a number from the book that utilizes both of her sponsor’s
products.

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt and sift together
three times. Cream butter thoroughly, add sugar gradually, and cream
together until light and fluffy. Add flour, alternately with milk, a
small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Add
flavoring. Fold in egg whites quickly and thoroughly. Bake in three
greased 9-inch layer pans in moderate oven (375F) for 20 to 25
minutes. Spread Chocolate Cream Filling between layers and Hungarian
Chocolate Frosting on top and sides of cake. When frosting is set,
write the numbers from one to twelve around top of cake with white
frosting to represent the face of a clock. Place hands of clock at
twelve o’clock.

CHOCOLATE CREAM FILLING:

Add chocolate to milk and heat in double boiler. When chocolate is
melted, beat with rotary egg beater until blended. Combine sugar,
flour, and salt; add gradually to chocolate mixture and cook until
thickened, stirring occasionally. Pour small amount of mixture over
egg yolks, stirring vigorously; return to double boiler and cook for
2 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Add butter and vanilla, and
cool.

Makes 2 1/2 cups filling, or enough filling to spread between three
9- inch layers. Use this filling in small cup cakes. Use 1/2 recipe
for filling 2 1/2 to 3 dozen small cup cakes.

HUNGARIAN CHOCOLATE FROSTING:

Melt chocolate in double boiler. Remove from boiling water, add
sugar and water, and blend. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating
will after each. Add butter, a tablespoon at a time, beating
thoroughly after each amount.

Makes enough frosting to cover the top of one 9-inch layer and sides
of three 9-inch layers, or to cover the tops and sides of two 9-inch
layers. Eat lots of this and you too can look like Kate Smith!
Probably won’t be able to sing as well though…