Recipe: The Cake In The Casserole with 7-Minute Icing (1930's)

THE CAKE IN THE CASSEROLE

2 oz (2 squares) bitter baking chocolate
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sour milk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 egg whites, beaten stiff
Seven Minute Icing (recipe follows)
Candied fruit (optional, for decorating)

Pour the boiling water over the chocolate; add the baking soda to this and set in a warm place to dissolve.

Meanwhile cream the shortening and sugar together, add the slightly beaten egg yolks to this and the sour milk.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and stir into the egg mixture. Beat until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Add the dissolved chocolate and vanilla.

Then beat the egg whites stiff and fold into this batter. Pour at once into a 3-quart baking dish or casserole, rubbed well with shortening.

Bake for 1 hour and 5-minutes. The oven should be slow (300 degrees F). Set the cake in the dish on a rack to cool.

Seven Minute Icing is made for this cake. Then spread on the cake (still in the baking dish), spread smoothly all over, and decorate with candied fruit.

SEVEN MINUTE ICING

3 tbsp water
1 egg white
7/8 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp flavoring (vanilla, etc)

Boil water in bottom of double boiler.

In the upper part of double boiler, place the 3 tbsp water, egg white, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat the mixture with with a mixer rapidly at first. Then beat steadily and continuously for seven minutes. Keep water boiling in the lower part of the double boiler during the beating.

Remove from the heat, and pour the hot water out of the lower part of the double boiler and replace with cold water. Replace the upper part of the double boiler, containing the frosting, over the cold water and allow to stand for five minutes.

Then stir in the flavoring. Stir until thick enough to pile well.

This makes a very big cake, giving 18 small servings or 12 good sized ones.
Source: fredericksburg, VA - Free Lance Star newspaper, Nov 7, 1933