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Louisiana Syrup Cake

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Cakes" by Nancie McDermott


Recipe Introduction

"This Creole confection, known also as gâteau de sirop, calls for pure cane syrup, a milder, more delicate cousin of molasses. Steen's pure cane syrup, still made the traditional way in Abbeville, Louisiana, is the classic choice, but you could also use maple syrup, sorghum, or a combination of any two of these sweet essences. Cane syrup provides this single cake layer with a gorgeously deep, golden hue. You could crown it with a generous dusting of confectioners' sugar, or finish it with this syrup-kissed frosting. Steen's is the real deal, proudly serving south Louisiana and the world from their syrup mill in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, since 1911."

List of Ingredients

Cake:
â—¦ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
â—¦ ½ teaspoon ground cloves
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ½ cup vegetable oil
â—¦ 1 ½ cups Steen's pure cane syrup
â—¦ 1 egg
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
â—¦ ¾ cup hot water

Cane syrup frosting:
â—¦ ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, softened
â—¦ 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 2 tablespoons Steen's pure cane syrup


Recipe

To make the cake, heat the oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9-inch square or round pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt, and stir with a fork to mix everything well.

In a large bowl, combine the vegetable oil, cane syrup, and egg, and stir with a fork or a whisk to combine everything well. Add about one third of the flour mixture to the syrup mixture, and then stir gently, just until the flour disappears. Add the baking soda to the hot water, and then stir about half the water into the batter. Stir in another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining water, and finally the remaining flour, stirring gently each time just to mix everything well.

Quickly pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 350° F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake springs back when touched gently in the center, and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan.

To make the frosting, in a medium bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add half the confectioners' sugar, the vanilla, and the salt, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add the remaining confectioners' sugar and the cane syrup, and beat until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the bowl and mix well.

To complete the cake, if it's round, place the cooled cake on a serving plate or cake stand, top side up, and spread the frosting over it generously, covering the top and sides. If it's square, spread the icing over the cooled cake right in the pan, and cut into squares to serve. Serve warm, right from the pan. If you've used a round pan, cool the cake in the pan on a rack or a folded kitchen towel for 10 minutes, turn it out of the pan, and place it, top side up, on a wire rack to cool completely.

Serves 6 to 8