Recipe Talk

I remember an episode of Taste of America where mark went to someone's home to make an 8 layered cake for a cake walk. I also remember there was a simple recipe for chocolate frosting that only used cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and canned milk but I don't remember the ratios. Can anyone help me out?

Smith Island 10-Layer Cake
Region: Smith Island, Md.

Ingredients:

2 boxes Duncan Hines butter cake mix

2 sticks butter

8 eggs

1 12 ounce can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix evaporated milk and enough whole milk to make 2 3/4 cups of batter. Pour cake mix, eggs, butter, vanilla and half of the milk mixture into a large bowl. Stir very slowly to blend. Mix on low speed for approximately 5 minutes, and add the rest of the whole milk. Blend on medium-high speed for 10 minutes or until batter is a smooth cake consistency.

Spray 9-inch cake pans. Spread 1 cup cake batter into pans evenly. Bake 10 minutes. Cake will turn slightly brown and begin to release from the sides of the pan. Repeat this until you have 10 layers.

Frosting:

2 sticks butter

2 1/2-ounce cans evaporated milk

8 heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

2 pounds confectioners sugar

Directions:
Melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in evaporated milk. Whisk in cocoa until smooth, return to heat and cook for approximately 10 minutes. Do not boil or scorch. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in confectioners' sugar. Cook slowly until thickened and mixture sticks to the back of a spoon or whisk. Frosting will form a ribbon when you drizzle a spoonful of the mixture. Allow to cool before frosting cake. To ice cake, spread frosting on a slightly cooled cake layer. Add crushed candy (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, Milky Ways or other favorite). (This step is optional.) Repeat process for all 10 layers. Do not add candy to final layer. Finish frosting the top and sides of cake. Enjoy!

The Palmer House Hilton Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Region: Chicago, Ill.

Ingredients:

1 pound, 2 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 pound butter

1 pound, 8 ounces granulated sugar

8 ounces cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

4 eggs

1 pound crushed walnuts

For Glaze:

1 cup water

1 cup apricot preserves

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

Directions:
Melt chocolate with butter in double boiler. Mix dry ingredients, except walnuts, into mixing bowl. Mix chocolate with dry ingredients, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs. Pour into 9-x12-inch baking sheet, sprinkle walnuts on top, press walnuts down slightly with your hand and bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

You will know the brownie is done when the edges start to become a little crispy and the brownie has raised about quarter-inch. Note that even when the brownie is properly baked, it will test "gooey" with a toothpick in the middle due to the mixture's richness.

After removing from oven, allow to cool for about 30 minutes before spreading a thin layer of glaze with a pastry brush. Glaze: Mix together water, preserves and unflavored gelatin in a saucepan. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Use hot.

Special Tip: Brownies are easier to cut if you place them in the freezer for about 3 to 4 hours after glazing.

Coca-Cola Cake
Region: Atlanta, Ga.

Ingredients:

4 cups sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups cocoa powder

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

4 egg yolks

2 cups coffee

2 teaspoons coke syrup

1/2 pound butter (melted)

2 cups buttermilk

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

2. Whisk together until blended well.

3. In another large bowl, combine all wet ingredients in the order listed above.

4. Pour wet ingredients into the blended dry ingredients.

5. Whisk together until smooth, but do not over-mix.

6. Divide batter into two prepared pans.

7. Bake at 325 degrees until done, about 25 minutes or until it springs back after touch.

http://travel.discovery.com/tv/taste-america/recipes/recipe-index.html

Cake Frosting

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds butter (unsalted)

12 ounces unsweetened chocolate (baking chocolate)

6 ounces 70 percent bitter chocolate

2 1/4 pounds powdered sugar, sifted

1 1/2 pounds sour cream

1/2 cup Coke syrup

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, over a pot of boiling water, melt butter and chocolate together.
2. Fold in half of the powdered sugar to the chocolate mixture.
3. Add half of the sour cream and mix in.
4. Continue to alternate until all the powdered sugar and sour cream is incorporated into the chocolate mixture.

Moisten chocolate cake with Coke syrup, layer with chocolate frosting then Coke syrup. Top with chocolate frosting.

Not to be rude but she only used cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and canned milk.

I watched and taped his show today, at Smith Island. On the tape there is a long stix of butter in the icing pan, just as her hand goes to his mouth, and the camera goes up to Mark's mouth.

She starts with 3 ingredients, then adds a stick of room temperature butter after mixing the icing. And adds the vanilla, out of camera sight.

The recipe is from her. So it has to be the right one, as she said they were being baked for a cake walk.

Patty