Recipe: White Layer Cake with Custard Filling and Chocolate Frosting

Grandma Rose's White Layer Cake with Custard Filling and Chocolate Frosting
alt.cooking-chien: Nancy & Bill

Our favorite cake.

CAKE:
2/3 cup sweet butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 9-inch layer-cake pans. Beat butter until fluffy, add 1 cup of the sugar and continue beating. Sift flour with salt and baking powder, and add to butter mixture alternately with the combined milk and water. Add vanilla. Set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff. Very gradually add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff. Lastly, very carefully fold egg whites into the batter. Pour into pans and bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool completely.

CUSTARD FILLING:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Dash of salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup hot milk
3 egg yolks
1 cup whipped cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix flour, salt, and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Stir in hot milk, and place in top of double boiler over boiling water. Cook until smooth and thickened, stirring constantly. Combine yolks with remaining sugar; add to mixture, and continue cooking. Stir for 3 minutes more. Cool completely, then fold in the whipped cream and vanilla. When cake layers are thoroughly cooled, remove from pans and spread the custard between them.

FROSTING:
1/2 pound sweet butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 eggs
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups toasted chopped almonds (optional)

Beat together all ingredients except the almonds. Spread over the top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with chopped almonds, if desired.