Signature Recipes

Millie's Divinity Kissed Cake

By Rex Poland

In my growing up years on the Gulf Coast of Texas when I was a little boy, we always had homemade cookies in the cookie jar, a homemade cake on the cake stand, a homemade pie in the pie keeper or maybe even homemade ice cream or sherbet in the freezer compartment depending on the season. And there were always Hershey's Kisses in the candy dish in the living room. These were my mother's favorites. When the world was deprived of them during the war years, she promised herself she would never be without them again if they were ever marketed again. By the time I was born, the world had grown to cherish these chocolatey morsels again.

And mind you, we were not fat people either. Just extremely happy and talented in the kitchen.

When I asked my Mother why I always had to ask permission for a cookie or a slice of cake or pie or a bowl of ice cream but never had to ask permission for a Hershey's candy, she pulled me to her side, held me close and whispered "Because stolen kisses are always the best!"

That was my Mother!

Millie's Divinity Kissed Cake

1 cup pecans
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, separated
4 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup Hershey's Kisses finely chopped or grated
1 1/2 cups Hershey's Kisses for garnishing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pecans in a pie plate and place in oven
about 8 minutes or until lightly brown and fragrant. Cool, chop coarsely and
set aside. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Transfer to
a piece of wax paper.

In same bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed
until fluffy. Add egg yolks and chocolate and beat well. Add sifted dry
ingredients alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry
ingredients. Beat well after each addition. Stir in reserved pecans, coconut
and vanilla.

With clean beaters in a clean bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold
into creamed batter. Transfer to prepared pan and bake in lower third of the
oven 50 to 60 minutes or until top springs back when pressed lightly with
your finger. Let cool in pan 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cake to a wire
rack to cool completely. When cool, spread top and sides with frosting.

Makes 16 servings

Wilton’s Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk

Makes about three cups of icing.

For medium consistency:
In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Fold in a cup of finely chopped or grated (Cuisinart if you are more modern) Hershey's Kisses. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. Frost the cake lavishly.

Garnish the base of the frosted cake around the outside with Hershey' Kisses (foil wrappers removed, naturally) and garnish the opening at the top of the cake in the same manner.

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored two weeks. Re-whip before using.

For thin consistency
Add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

For pure white icing with stiff consistency
Omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening, and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes. Don't add the finely chopped or grated Kisses, either.

Rex Poland, a native Texan born in the historical city of Velasco near Galveston, lives in Dallas, where he is an event planner. He is a frequent ribbon winner in the Creative Arts competitions of canning, baking, and cooking at the State Fair of Texas. He can be reached at rexpoland@yahoo.com.