Fudge Frosting No. 1

Recipe No. 98 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Cakes and Cookies. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Gelatin, plain — 1¼ ounces (5 mess kit spoons)
• Water, cold — ¼ pint (8 mess kit spoons)
• Cocoa — 10 ounces (1 mess kit cup)
• Sugar, granulated — 2 pounds (1 No. 56 dipper)
• Salt — ¼ ounce (½ mess kit spoon)
• Butter — ½ pound (¼ No. 56 dipper)
• Water, boiling — ¾ pint (½ mess kit cup)
• Egg yolks, beaten — 6 yolks (1/5 mess kit cup)
• Vanilla — 1 ounce (2 mess kit spoons)
• Sugar, confectioners — 2½ pounds (⅓ mess kit cup)

Directions

1. Soak gelatin in cold water 5 minutes.
2. Mix cocoa, sugar, and salt together; add butter and boiling water.
3. Heat to boiling; boil about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
4. Add gelatin; beat well.
5. Add a small amount of cocoa and gelatin mixture to beaten egg yolk; mix well.
6. Add remaining cocoa and gelatin mixture; mix well.
7. Add vanilla and confectioners sugar; beat until smooth.
8. Spread on cakes.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Gelatin, plain — about ⅔ tsp Water, cold — 2 tsp Cocoa — ¾ oz Sugar, granulated — 2½ oz Salt — a pinch Butter — ⅔ oz Water, boiling — 2 tbsp Egg yolks, beaten — ½ yolks Vanilla — about ½ tsp Sugar, confectioners — 3¼ oz

This recipe makes frosting for two sheet cakes (18 by 26 by 1 inches) or for 200 individual cakes.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 98, Cakes and Cookies. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.