Old Fashioned Tea-Time Milk Chocolate Cake

French Tart's Note:

Another one of my Mum's failsafe recipes......originally taken from the Be-Ro Home Recipes Cookbook. This cake is always a winner for afternoon teas and is delicious if eaten with a glass of cold milk! A well-behaved cake when packed for a picnic too. If you don't have evaporated milk, use full fat fresh milk instead. You can decorate this cake with walnut or pecan halves - little Cadbury's "Chocolate Buttons" are also a good finishing touch! When raspberries are in season, I often add them to the sandwich filling and to the top for decoration.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 12

Yield: 1.0 Cake

Cake

• 7 ounces self raising flour
• 7 ounces caster sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces cocoa powder
• 4 ounces soft margarine or 4 ounces softened butter
• 2 eggs , beaten with
• 5 tablespoons evaporated milk
• 5 tablespoons extra evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Milk Chocolate Icing

• 3 ounces butter
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 8 ounces sieved icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons hot evaporated milk or 3 tablespoons hot full-fat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TO DECORATE

• chocolate , buttons
• walnuts
• pecans
• raspberries

Directions:

1. CAKE:.
2. Sieve the flour, sugar, salt and cocoa together.
3. Rub in the margarine or butter.
4. Stir the beaten eggs and evaporated milk into the mixture, then add the extra evaporated milk and vanilla extract.
5. Beat well until light and fluffy and well mixed.
6. Grease and line a 6" or 7" round tin - not loose-bottomed as the mixture may run out.
7. Bake in a moderate oven, 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 25 to 35 minutes, or until well risen.
8. Allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before icing and decorating the cake.
9. ICING:.
10. Melt the butter and blend in the cocoa powder, sieved icing sugar, hot milk and vanilla extract.
11. Beat until smooth and thick.
12. Allow to settle for about 5 minutes before icing the cake.
13. ASSEMBLING THE CAKE:.
14. When the cake is completely cold, cut the cake in half and sandwich the two halves together with half of the icing.
15. Spread some of the remaining icing on the top, reserving some to be piped on in rosettes around the top of the cake. Pipe 12 rosttes on the top of the cake and one in the middle.
16. Decorate each rosette with a nut half, chocolate button or fresh raspberry.
17. Store in an airtight tin for upto 5 days, or freeze the cake before icing. Can be frozen for upto 3 months.

Reviews

[Chickee]

This cake was really fun to make. I only had a 22cm pan, so I increased the quantities to 1.5 times. But this threw out my baking times and I ended up over cooking it a little, and it was a tad dry. The next day it was a bit better, and warming it in the microwave before serving made it better. So, we did end up eating it all! I'll definitely make again. Thanks!

[Tim Bott]

I've been using a recipe similar to this for the last 35 years when a neighbour brought it back from the USA. I use 8 oz of castor sugar and 5 tablbespoons of water and 5 tablbespoons of evaporated milk. I don't normally get to leave it for 24 hours in an airtight tin before its devoured but if you do it just increases the rich moist texture. I don't think it needs a topping but sometimes add just 70% dark chocolate melted. My sons been taking it to school fot his packed lunch along with other healthy food and several of his teenage friends (all boys) I might add have asked for the recipe after trying it. It's hard to imagine 14 and15 year old boys discussing food and swaping recipes.

[Curious&Curiouser]

My husband and I really adored this recipe. Just chocolately enough. Not too sweet. Also, this made plenty of frosting to play around with! Thanks!