Chocolate Cake with Rubber Icing

 
My dad is a hard man to shop for. Whenever Christmas, Father's Day, or his birthday are coming up, I always have to ask what he'd like. It's usually some article of clothing, a Ralph Lauren shirt, a Jos. A. Banks sweater... the man loves his brand names. This year for his birthday I asked what he would like and he said all he wanted was a chocolate cake with rubber icing. I told him "Dad, I'll bake you the cake, but let me get you a present, too." He insisted "No, just bake me the cake my mother used to bake me. That's all I want." This was a bit of a challenge. I found his mother's recipe for rubber icing (For those who are wondering, "rubber icing" is this marshmallow-y type of icing that is really called White Mountain Frosting. The consistency is a bit rubbery, hence why my dad grew up calling it rubber icing.), but could not, in any of the many recipe boxes and books in our kitchen, find the recipe she used for chocolate cake. I ended up using a recipe from Hershey's, and it turned out pretty amazing. It was so delicious my dad didn't even care it wasn't his mother's recipe. I was very proud of my rubber icing. It was the first time I made it on my own that I didn't end up burning it. Making it is a very fast paced process, and since this was a solo mission, I was not able to take many pictures of it. Good luck and enjoy!

<3 Sweet Cheeks
  
CAKE 
YOU WILL NEED: 
    
2 c. sugar  
3/4 c. Hershey's cocoa powder 
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda  
2 eggs  
1/2 c. vegetable oil  
1 c. boiling water  
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour  
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. salt 
1 c. milk   
2 tsp. vanilla extract


PREPARATIONS:
 
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. My cake pans are pretty new and I've had some problems with cakes sticking to them, so I used a LOT of butter and flour. It worked great, the cakes fell cleanly out of them and I just had to brush a little flour off the bottoms. 
  
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. 

    
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.

   
4. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).  
5. Pour batter into prepared pans.
   
6. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 
7. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 
      
ICING 
YOU WILL NEED: 
   
2 egg whites 
1/4 c. light corn syrup 
1/2 c. granulated sugar 
2 tbs. water 
1 tsp. vanilla extract 

PREPARATIONS: 

Read these the whole way through before you start! 

1. Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in a 1-quart saucepan. Cover and heat to a rolling boil over medium heat. Uncover and cook, without stirring, to 242°F (115°C) on a candy thermometer or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a ball that flattens when removed from water. Cooking time can take between 4 to 8 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile using an electric mixer at high speed, beat egg whites in a medium bowl just until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and while beating constantly, very slowly pour hot syrup in a steady, thin stream into the egg whites. Add the vanilla and continue beating at high speed for about 10 minutes until stiff peaks form. 

Sweet Cheeks' tips: I don't have a candy thermometer, and every time I've tried to drop a small amount into water, it took me so long I burned the syrup. I've made this icing a few times since making this cake and my "trick" was to combine the sugar, syrup, and water in the sauce pan, stir it, cover it, and set the burner on high. I then separated the two egg whites and beat them with a hand mixer until they were fluffy and forming stiff peaks. At this point, as long as the mixture was already boiling, I didn't check temperature, I just poured it straight in. It does take about 5-10 minutes of beating after pouring it in for the icing to stiffen up. Believe me, the end result is worth the time! 





STACKING THE CAKE
   
1. Apply a small amount of icing to the plate or base where you'll be stacking your cake. This will keep your bottom layer from moving around.  
2. Lay the bottom layer on the base. Some people recommend stacking the cakes upside down, with the rounded part toward the bottom. My cakes came out very flat and even, so I stacked mine right side up.  
3. Completely cover the top of the bottom layer, but don't use so much that when you stack the second layer it will slide off. 


 
4. Stack the second layer on top of the first, making sure the sides are even. 
 


5. Pour the icing over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides. In my opinion, when it comes to rubber icing, the messier the better! This is not an icing where you'll be able to really smooth out the sides, so have fun with it!  
6. Using a knife or spatula, spread the icing over and around the cake to make sure it is completely covered.