twelve layers!!

Fun Fact: 12 is only 1 more than the number of runs the Phils scored last night against the Dodgers. Oh, and 12 more than the Dodgers scored. Just sayin'.

But, even better, 12 is the number of layers in this delicious cake I made! I originally got the idea from Bakerella, but wasn't sure if I wanted to make a Southern 12-layer cake, or a traditional German baumkuchen. In the end, I decided to make the 12 layer cake, mostly because I didn't have a spit to bake my cake on. :/

So here, it is, the delicious, deceptive 12-layer cake!

(Semi-Healthy) Twelve Layer Cake

(adapted from here.)

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsps baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter

2 1/2 cups Splenda/sugar mix (if you're just using sugar, it's the same measurement)

6 large eggs

3 cups milk

1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract

icing/glaze

1 1/2 cups Splenda (if using the mix or sugar, use 3 cups.)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup butter, cut up

1 can evaporated milk (what in the world is evaporated milk? I always expected it to be powdered. ya know, evaporated. but it's a liquid. what gives?)

1 tbsp vanilla extract

So, there are a few different ways you can go about baking this awesome cake. Bakerella calls for an individual disposable pan for each layer. This recipe calls for 4 identical cake pans cooked in 3 batches, which is what I used. Luckily, Grandmom Lulu came to the rescue yet again, and I was able to use the 2 9 inch cake pans from her with my mom's 2 round cake pans.

But first things first. If you're like me, your oven takes FOOORRRRRREEEVVVEEERRRRRRRR to heat up. If that's the case, turn it on before you even get your ingredients assembled. That way it'll finally be ready to go by the time you're ready to start baking. For this cake, heat it up to 375.

To start, sift your flour into a bowl with the other dry ingredients (except the sugar) and get them all mixed up and confused. Set them aside. Then beat together the butter and the Splenda/sugar mix. The recipe says to mix them "until light in color and texture." I'm not really sure what that means, so I mixed it until it looked like it was pretty well mixed.

Then add the eggs one at a time. If you're lucky like me, and your mom lets you use her stand mixer (or if you're really lucky and have your own - jealous) then you can just leave the mixer running and just crack them in while it's going. Next up, add in the flour and milk in alternating groups, going flour milk flour milk flour. Lastly, add in the vanilla.

When it's all mixed into a nice little batter, it's time to spoon it into the pans. I just used some Baker's Joy and skipped the whole parchment paper/flour deal and they still worked out. The recipe says to put a "scant" cup into each pan, but I accidentally grabbed the 1/2 cup, so I just heaped that and it worked out just the same. Smear the batter around the pan so it sits in an even thin layer, and throw all 4 in the oven at the same time. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the cake comes loose from the sides. Cool in the pan, then flip them out onto a rack.

Once you put the final batch in the oven, start making the glaze. Put the sugar, cocoa, butter, and evaporated milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook until the sauce thickens. It's supposed to thicken until it's the consistency of chocolate syrup, but mine never did. Add the vanilla, stir it up, and set aside to cool and thicken a little more.

When it's go time, just start stacking. Place a layer on a cake board, and pour just enough glaze to cover it. Throw the second layer on the first and glaze that one. Rinse and repeat until all 12 layers are on board.

Pour the rest of the glaze over the top of the cake and make sure all the sides are covered in chocolate deliciousness.

Now this is where the original recipe ends. However, I stole one more step from little miss Bakerella and used some canned (gasp!) dark chocolate fudge frosting to cover the outside of the cake and hide the layers.

Bon Apetit!

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