Chocolate Cottage Pudding

Recipe No. 114 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Desserts. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Shortening — 2¼ pounds (1½ mess kit cups)
• Sugar, granulated — 3¾ pounds (2½ mess kit cups)
• Eggs — 15 eggs (¾ No. 56 dipper)
• Flour, sifted — 3¾ pounds (3¾ No. 56 dippers)
• Baking powder — 2½ ounces (6⅔ mess kit spoons)
• Salt — ½ ounce (1 mess kit spoon)
• Baking soda — ¾ ounce (1½ mess kit spoon)
• Cocoa — 14 ounces (1 No. 56 dipper)
• Milk, evaporated — 2 — 14½-ounce cans
• Water (for milk) — 1½ pints (¾ No. 56 dipper)
• Vanilla — 1 ounce (2 mess kit spoons)

Directions

Key ingredients

Baking Soda & Baking Powder · Evaporated Milk

1. Add unbeaten eggs a few at a time, beating after each addition until well mixed; continue beating until light and fluffy.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, soda, and cocoa together twice.
3. Mix milk and water; add vanilla.
4. Add dry ingredients and milk alternately to sugar mixture, first adding about ⅓ dry ingredients, then ½ milk, then another ⅓ dry ingredients and remaining milk and dry ingredients.
5. Mix thoroughly until smooth.
6. Pour into greased sheet pans. Bake in moderate oven (350° F.) about 30 to 35 minutes or until done.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Shortening — 3 oz Sugar, granulated — 4¾ oz Eggs — 1¼ eggs Flour, sifted — 4¾ oz Baking powder — about 1¼ tsp Salt — a pinch Baking soda — about ⅓ tsp Cocoa — 1 oz Milk, evaporated — ½ can (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 3¾ tbsp Vanilla — about ½ tsp

This recipe makes two sheet cakes (17 by 24 by 1 inches). Serve with chocolate sauce or hard sauce (recipes Nos. 489 and 488).

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 114, Desserts. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.