Recipe - Gateaux Jos Louis (Joe Louis Cakes)

CAKE
One half cup Butter
One half cup Sugar, granulated
2 Eggs;beaten
1 cup Milk
1 tablespoon White vinegar
1 teaspoon Baking soda
2 cup Flour;all purpose
1 teaspoon Baking powder
One fourth cup Cocoa powder;unsweetened
One half teaspoon Salt
1 One half teaspoon Vanilla

VANILLA FILLING
2 Egg whites
One half cup Sugar, granulated
1 pn Salt
2 tablespoon Water
1 teaspoon Vanilla

CHOCOLATE ICING
2 tablespoon Butter
2 tablespoon Cocoa powder;unsweetened
2 tablespoon Light cream; up to 3 T
One half teaspoon Vanilla
One half cup Icing (Confectioner's) sugar
approximate

Gateaux Jos. Louis

Homemade 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 founderbakers Arcade
and RoseAnna 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 dropcookie method and ~sometimes a
marshmallow filling. The baking cake is made
automatically with a diameter of 3 One half inches (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 350F 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.

MAKES:about 12 MEDIUM or 24 SMALL MUFFIN SIZED CAKES
SOURCE: _A Taste of Quebec_ by Julian Armstrong

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini