Gypsy Round Layer Cake
by Octavia Fleck
"Watching my mother grow older has made me aware of the importance of passing on family traditions. This recipe, a part of all our family celebrations, is from my grandmother Ann."
Recipe
Cake:
- 3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
- 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon each: baking powder, baking soda and salt
- 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
Mocha icing:
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons hot coffee
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Cream shortening with granulated sugar and beat until fluffy. Blend in eggs. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and cocoa. Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in extracts and nuts. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 30 minutes or until the center is set. Set aside to cool. To prepare icing, cream together butter, egg yolk, confectioners' sugar, cocoa, cinnamon and coffee until smooth and fluffy. Add another tablespoon of coffee or more sugar if needed to improve the texture. Frost top of each layer of cake when cooled, and then assemble. Store in refrigerator.
Tips From Our Test Kitchen: Double the icing recipe if you want to frost the sides as well as the top and middle of the cake.
first appeared: 4/30/2006
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12/20/07 8:12 PM
This recipe has a tradition in my family also and it has been my birthday cake of choice for years. Our story is that my Grandmother Rindt copied the recipe from where it had been offered in a contest to name it. The recipe has to be more than 60 years old. We never knew what name was selected as the contest winner so we've always called it the
Quote:
Nameless Cake
.
Our recipe calls for 2 cups of all-purpose flour instead of 1 3/4 cup of cake flour and we've always placed sliced bananas between the layers. All the other measurements and ingredients are the same as those of the
Quote:
Gypsy Round Cake
that you printed.
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