Towering Cake of Chocolate Delights

Today in National Lasagna Day. My original thoughts were to post a traditional Lasagna recipe. Then I realized we would be bombarded by traditional Lasagna recipes. Besides, you know me – striving to think outside the box. That’s when I thought about a Chocolate Lasagna. Always a big, creamy hit in our house. But then I realized the only thing that makes it a “lasagna” are all the layers. And what has more layers than this 14-layer Cake? So I scraped the idea of Lasagna anything.

I know what you are thinking – fourteen layers – have you lost your mind!? I thought the same thing, until I learned a little trick that makes layered cakes a snap. Instead of trying to deal with slicing two or three cakes into four or six or eight, start by dividing the batter into four or ten or twenty pans. Okay, so that might be a bit much, but you get the idea. The more layers made by dividing the batter, the easier the cake becomes. The layers can even sit in the pan, and be turned out as needed one at a time if you have enough pans.

If you are like me, cake is just a way to get frosting to the lips. Fourteen layers of cake means fourteen layers of frosting or fillings or whatever. All good stuff in my book. So let’s get to baking, shall we?

Fourteen-Layer Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Cake Batter
1/2 cup Shortening
1/2 cup Butter
2 Cups Sugar
6 eggs
3 cups milk
3 cups Self-Rising Flour
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

To Make Cake
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour as many 8-inch round cake pans that you have. (The cake is 14 layers, so 14 pan-fulls. Disposable pans can also be used).

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, 1/2 cup butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour alternately with the 3 cups milk; beat well.

Pour 1/4 cup of batter into each prepared pan, and spread evenly. You will need to bake the layers in batches depending upon how many pans you have and how many pans will fit into your oven at one time.

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the heated oven, just until the layers are dried out. Do not brown.

Allow cake to cool, gently remove from pan and continue. Hold cooked layers on the counter with waxed paper between layers. If using the same pans, wash and dry well, then grease and flour the pans and repeat the process until all the layers have been baked.

Chocolate Frosting
3 cups Sugar
1 cup Butter
1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Water
2 cups Evaporated Milk

To Make Frosting
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 3 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, cocoa, water and 2 cups evaporated milk. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring frequently, then boil for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and beat for one minute with an electric mixer.

Stack cake layers with icing in between, letting the icing run down the sides of the cake. Smooth the sides and top with the remaining icing.