Dobash Cake

Submitted by Laniakea

"A nice torte for sharing with friends or just yourself!"

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Yields: 14 slices
• Serves: 14

ingredients

• Cake

• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1 1⁄2 cups cake flour
• 3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk

• Frosting

• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1⁄2 cup cornstarch
• 1⁄2 cup water

directions

1. For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line 2 - 8-inch round pans with parchment or waxed paper.
3. Beat egg whites until frothy.
4. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup of sugar.
5. Beat egg whites until stiff.
6. Sift dry ingredients together.
7. Make a well in the flour mixture; add vegetable oil and half of the milk.
8. Beat until well blended, medium speed.
9. Add remaining milk and egg yolks.
10. Beat until smooth.
11. Fold in the egg whites.
12. Pour into prepared pans.
13. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
14. Cool and slice each layer in half, horizontally, to make 4 layers.
15. Frost with Dobash frosting.
16. For the Frosting: Combine first four ingredients and bring to a boil.
17. Sift the cocoa and cornstarch together to get the lumps out and combine with the remaining 1/2 cup water.
18. Add to the boiling mixture. Bring to a boil again, cool slightly, and then frost. (Don't let it get too cool, or it will 'set' in the pot!) This is a nice frosting, it's very smooth, and once it sets, you can't even ding it up and make it ugly! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -.

Reviews

[lemonlylime]

My first chocolate cake and it was wonderful! Almost like the ones they sell at local bakeries on the islands! The color wasn't as dark as I wanted it but the texture was fantastic--very soft and fluffy! The magic, however, is in the frosting! If you make this cake, you simply MUST make the frosting to go with it! For someone like me who normally scoops frosting OFF cakes, I was practically licking my plate! To make it though, was a bit daunting. On the first attempt, my frosting came out too lumpy. On the 2nd try, I revised it by adding the powdered cocoa and 1/2 c. water mixture into the buttery liquid first (after step 16). Then with the remaining cornstarch, I scooped about 2-3 spoonfuls into a small seperate bowl and mixed it with the some of the simmering sauce from the stove. Stirred it til silky smooth and poured it back into the simmering pot to thicken it, mixing it once again. Repeat this several times, while keeping the bubbling mix on low heat and contantly stirring. I did have to add a bit of water from time to time to keep it from thickening too much, but I recommend you do so by instinct. The frosting should be almost like a pudding texture; maybe a little thinner. When done, you'll have to work quickly to frost the cake but your knife will just glide on the cake and the end result is just fabulous! I only frosted the top of my cake but baked it in a 9X13 inch pan. Will make this again and again for sure! Mahalo, Laniakea! **Recommended for all those who want a piece of aloha(love)!**

 

[Dobash Queen]

Please be advised. No cream and cornstarch doesn't make the Dobash frosting from the good old days. look up Ganache frosting instead it's closer to the rich frosting from back in the day.Lihia Baker's and HECO's recipes are the same disappointing result. Local girls are like Southern women in that a large part of our identities and self worth relate to our cooking skills. I was bragging about our local Dobash frosting and was embarrassed by this, HECO's and Liliha Bakery's recipes all falling short. Especially if it is the favorite of your new boyfriend or husband's father. Nothing without cream can be better than something with cream.

 

[pennypause]

This is the first time I've incorporated anything into beaten egg whites so this was new territory for me. I thought the cake would be the difficult part, but it turned out lovely. The tricky part as lemonlylime pointed out is the frosting. I was in a hurry and tried to make it quickly and ended up with starch lumps. I didn't spend enough time mixing the cocoa, cornstarch and water together and kind of sloshed it in the bubbling pot while trying to stir with the other hand. In a burst of inspiration I thought i could smooth out the lumps in my blender. Those of you who know better are probably falling off your chairs, but I was in a rush and desperate. It didn't work, so don't try it. After a few spins and sitting out for a spell it looked liked something I imagine you might find in a macbeth cauldron- so it ended up in the trash. I tried a second time and thoroughly mixed the cocoa, starch and water together and was a bit more coordinated when combining it with the bubbling solution in the pot. It turned out better, but the were a few lumps. You have to be careful about the how fast you let it come to a boil, I think. I fathom it's like making gravy, but I have never made gravy so this is only a guess. End result: Positive. I received the Hawaiian seal of approval from hubby... Trickier to execute than anticipated. Next time I will try lemonlylime's suggestions.