THE ROMBAUER SPECIAL CHOCOLATE CAKE
One 13 × 9-inch cake; 16 to 20 servings
Dating back to the 1931 edition of Joy, this was Irma’s go-to recipe for family birthdays. It is a light chocolate sheet cake by today’s standards, but pleasing nonetheless and made elegant with a coating of marshmallow-like frosting.
Have all ingredients at room temperature, about 70°F. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 × 9-inch pan.
Whisk together thoroughly in a medium bowl:
- 1 ¾ cups sifted (175g) cake flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- (1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- (¼ teaspoon ground cloves)
- (1 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts or pecans)
Melt in a double boiler or heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water:
- 2 ounces (55g) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
Whisk into the melted chocolate:
- ⅓ cup (80g) boiling water
Beat in a large bowl, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, on high speed until creamy:
- 1 stick (4 oz or 115g) unsalted butter, softened
Add and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes:
- 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat in, one at a time:
- 4 large eggs
Add the cooled chocolate mixture. Beating on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with:
- ½ cup (120g) milk
in 2 parts. Beat the batter until smooth after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack.
When cool, spread with:
Drizzle over the frosting:
- 4 ounces (115g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled