Chocolate Sponge

Recipe No. 124 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

• Water, cold — 1¾ quarts (1¾ No. 56 dippers)
• Gelatin, plain — 7 ounces (½ mess kit cup)
• Water, hot — 1¾ quarts (1¾ No. 56 dippers)
• Sugar, granulated — 4¾ pounds (2⅓ No. 56 dippers)
• Salt — ½ ounce (1 mess kit spoon)
• Chocolate — 1¼ pounds
• or — as needed

Cocoa — 1 pound (1½ mess kit cups)

• Egg yolks, slightly beaten — 84 yolks (1? No. 56 dippers)
• Egg whites, stiffly beaten — 84 whites (2 No. 56 dippers)
• Vanilla — 3 ounces (6 mess kit spoons)

Directions

1. Pour cold water over gelatin; mix and allow to stand 5 minutes.
2. Mix hot water, sugar, salt, and chocolate or cocoa together. Heat to boiling point; boil about 3 minutes or until smooth.
3. Add gelatin; stir until thoroughly dissolved.
4. Add slightly beaten egg yolks. When mixture begins to thicken, add stiffly beaten egg whites and vanilla.
5. Chill.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Water, cold — 9 tbsp Gelatin, plain — ½ oz Water, hot — 9 tbsp Sugar, granulated — 6 oz Salt — a pinch Chocolate — 1⅔ oz or — to taste Cocoa — 1¼ oz Egg yolks, slightly beaten — 6¾ yolks Egg whites, stiffly beaten — 6¾ whites Vanilla — about 1½ tsp

Serve with whipped cream or whipped evaporated milk.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 124, Desserts. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints. NOTE: a quantity on the scanned page was unclear — check the PDF in the Reference Library.