Becki Bowman has fond memories of her mother and grandmother cooking everything from scratch.
Back in January, Lowcountry Cuisine celebrated Chocolate Cake Day by inviting Facebook followers to post their favorite recipes, and Becki Bowman’s Hot Milk Chocolate Cake submission won her a $50 gift certificate to Publix. Follow us on social media and get your favorite recipe for shrimp ‘n’ grits ready – that’ll be the subject for the next gift card giveaway, and we can’t wait to read your submissions.
Becki Bowman has fond memories of her mother and grandmother cooking everything from scratch. She grew up in a small town, and every Wednesday was dinner at the church, where all of the mothers and grandmothers would try to outdo each other – especially when it came to desserts. Bowman’s mother and grandmother often made Hot Milk Chocolate Cake for the occasion, and it became a favorite.
She lost her copy of the recipe a few years ago but found a similar one and tweaked it to reflect some of what she remembered from childhood. Her tips are to make sure not to burn the milk and not to overmix the batter.
Hot Milk Chocolate Cake
INGREDIENTS
For the cake
- 1¼ cups flour
- ½ cup cocoa
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 5 medium eggs
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ounce dark chocolate (melted)
- ½ cup milk
- 4 ounces unsalted butter
For the filling
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar - 4 tablespoons chocolate syrup
- 2 tablespoons cocoa (like Hershey’s)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- White chocolate shavings (optional, for garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
For the cake
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (or substitute cocoa) two 9-inch round cake pans.
Sift flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. Set aside. Beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Add oil and vanilla. Beat five minutes. Stir in melted chocolate.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk and butter, stirring until butter has melted and mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat immediately. While still hot, alternate adding the milk mixture and the sifted dry ingredients to the egg mixture.
Divide batter between cake pans and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Layers will be thin; do not overbake. Cool layers and remove them from pans. Fill and frost as desired.
For the filling
Beat all ingredients until the mixture reaches a stiff, spreadable consistency. Decorate with white chocolate shavings if desired.
NOTE: There is enough whipped frosting to generously fill between the layers.