Title: Gateaux Jos Louis (Joe Louis Cakes)
Categories: Cakes, Ethnic
Yield: 12 Cakes
------------------------------------CAKE------------------------------------
1/2 c Butter
1/2 c Granulated sugar
2 Eggs; beaten
1 c Milk
1 tb White vinegar
1 ts Baking soda
2 c All purpose flour
1 ts Baking powder
1/4 c Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 ts Salt
1 1/2 ts Vanilla
------------------------------VANILLA FILLING------------------------------
2 Egg whites
1/2 c Granulated sugar
1 pn Salt
2 tb Water
1 ts Vanilla
------------------------------CHOCOLATE ICING------------------------------
2 tb Butter
2 tb Unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tb Light cream; up to 3 tb,
- approximate
1/2 ts Vanilla
1/2 c Icing (Confectioner's) sugar
Home-made versions of this best selling commercial snacking cake
turn up in recipe collections throughout the Beauce. A product of
the giant Vachon bakery at St. Marie, it was launched by
founder-bakers Arcade and Rose-Anna Vachon who named it for their
eldest two sons Joseph and Louis and not, as some believe, after
the heavyweight boxing champion, Joe Louis. Home recipes use a
drop-cookie method and sometimes a marshmallow filling. The baking
cake is made automatically with a diameter of 3-1/2" (9 cm). To
achieve a symmetrical look and a light texture, I adapted a recipe
belonging to Mariette Scully Bourque of Notre Dame des Pins to the
muffin tin.
Cake:
Grease 12 medium muffin tins or 24 small ones. In a large bowl,
cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Measure milk into a
1 cup measure and stir in vinegar, then baking soda. In another
bowl, sift or mix together flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and
salt. Combine dry ingredients with butter mixture with milk; stir
in vanilla. Fill prepared muffin tins half full of batter. Bake in
a preheated 350 F oven for about 10 minutes or until a tester
inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan.
Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
Vanilla Filling:
In top of a double boiler, set over boiling water, combine egg
whites, granulated sugar, salt, and water. With an electric mixer,
beat until stiff and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat
and beat in vanilla.
Chocolate Icing:
Cream soft butter with cocoa powder. Blend in cream and vanilla.
Stir in sifted icing (confectioner's) sugar until icing is of
spreading consistency.
Slice cakes in half horizontally. Fill with Vanilla Filling and
spread tops and sides with Chocolate Icing.
