Posted by Suzanne McMinn on September 5, 2008 @ 1:05 am
Cakes, The Farmhouse Table
This is not a cake; it’s an adventure.
I’m fascinated by old-fashioned recipes, and Burnt Sugar Cake has been on my must-try list for awhile. If you don’t recognize the name of the cake, you would most likely recognize the flavor. It’s a cake you had sometime in your childhood, while visiting older family members or at a church supper somewhere. Burnt Sugar Cake has a unique taste that just spells home and country roads and a day when people spent more time in the kitchen. But there’s a reason Burnt Sugar Cake isn’t so popular anymore-it does take time. There is no cake mix that will give you the flavor of burnt sugar. You have to “burn” the sugar yourself, and make the cake from scratch.
But let me tell you-it’s worth it.
I started out with a recipe from an elderly church lady who has since passed away. The recipe included the list of ingredients, with some measurements (but not all), and directions that were incredibly lacking. (In which she instructs about ingredients that aren’t even mentioned in the list of ingredients and measurements.) You know, it’s one of those recipes-the type where they all knew what they were doing and only halfway wrote it down because you were supposed to know, too. It gave absolutely no instructions about burning the sugar.
Lost, I turned to the internet and studied burnt sugar cake recipes I found online. I chose one and made it…. It was quite different from the “authentic” recipe I had from the elderly lady, but hey, at least it had directions. Unfortunately, the cake was terrible. It baked up dry and dense and just utterly unacceptable.
Not to be deterred, I took what I’d learned from the online recipe and went back to the “authentic” one. Armed with at least a sense of how burnt sugar is created and the process of this cake, I tackled the old-time recipe again, filling in the gaps with my own experience. You know, the experience the incomplete recipe assumed I had to begin with. The two recipes were different in several ways, and by and large my second attempt was based on the old-time recipe. However, where measurements were incomplete in the old-time recipe, I filled in with my own guesses from my baking background, and what I ended up with was a delicious, moist, light cake that fulfilled all my Burnt Sugar Cake dreams.
How to make Old-Time Burnt Sugar Cake:
Making Burnt Sugar Syrup-
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups water
Dump the sugar in a skillet on the stove. Turn the heat to medium-low.
You don’t actually “burn” the sugar-you melt it. The sugar will just…melt. Seriously. Who knew? (Stop laughing. I’m from the suburbs.)
Stir only occasionally. The less you stir, the better. If you can’t restrain yourself, walk away for five to ten minutes and come back. It will look like this.
Now add the hot water, continuing with your heat on medium-low. (The online recipe instructed me to boil the water before adding it. This was not in sync with the old-time recipe and it’s not necessary. (Old church ladies know this stuff!) I made the burnt sugar twice, with each recipe, and I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to boil the water. Just use it hot right out of your tap. That’s good enough.
The melted sugar gets all excited when you add the water and it will bubble up.
Then it will calm down and after another five to ten minutes (again, it doesn’t like to be stirred too much), it will look like this.
Turn off the heat and set it aside to cool to room temperature while you start preparing the cake. The syrup is thin while it’s hot, but as it cools, it thickens. By the way, if you’re ever snowed in and have to have pancakes, this makes a pancake syrup in a pinch. Add a bit of maple flavoring if you have some on hand and it’s make-do maple syrup. Just remember, however much you want to make, use equal parts sugar and water. You know, if you’re snowed in and have to have pancakes. I wouldn’t want anyone to go without pancakes ever again. It’s an unnecessary tragedy. (Never run out of pancake mix again, either-try my Quick Mix.)
Note: Using 1 1/3 cups sugar and 1 1/3 cups water, you’re going to end up with approximately 1 1/4 cups Burnt Sugar Syrup after it cooks down in the process. Your exact mileage may vary.
Making Burnt Sugar Cake-
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs (yolks/whites divided)
1/2 cup Burnt Sugar Syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup water (minus one teaspoon)
3/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In another bowl, combine room temperature butter and the sugar. Cream. Add two egg yolks and beat again.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites till fluffy.
Pour or spoon 1/2 cup of the Burnt Sugar Syrup in a one-cup measuring cup. Add the teaspoon of vanilla then add enough water (cool to lukewarm) to add up to a cup combined with the Burnt Sugar Syrup and the vanilla. To the bowl with flour, add the creamed butter/sugar/egg yolks, the Burnt Sugar Syrup mixture, and the milk. Beat well. Gently fold in the egg whites. (Do not beat again.) The online recipe didn’t call for the eggs to be separated with the whites beaten then folded in. This is an extra step, but it makes a difference. Trust me.
Divide into two round, greased cake pans.
Bake at 350-degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (Don’t overbake!)
Cool and frost with Burnt Sugar Icing.
Making Burnt Sugar Icing-
16 ounces powdered sugar
2/3 cup to 3/4 cup Burnt Sugar Syrup (however much you have left in the skillet! as noted above, your mileage will vary after your syrup cooks down)
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine and beat till smooth and spreadable. If your icing is too stiff because you found yourself on the low side with your remaining Burnt Sugar Syrup, add a bit of milk or water. Frost cake and decorate with pecan halves. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Excuse me while I inhale this cake….
P.S. I don’t use cake flour. Ever. If a cake recipe can’t be made with regular flour, it’s just a bad recipe in my book. When I post a cake recipe, I’m using regular flour and it’s a recipe that works.
P.P.S. I don’t use bread flour, either. Ever. If a bread recipe can’t be made with regular flour, it’s just a bad recipe in my book. When I post a bread recipe, I’m using regular flour and it’s a recipe that works.
P.P.P.S. I’m too frugal for that special cake and bread flour nonsense.
P.P.P.P.S. I just wanted to use another P. The extra P’s are free!
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Posted by Suzanne McMinn on September 5, 2008 @ 1:05 am
1:52
am
Ooooh, that sounds (and looks) DIVINE!
1:53
am
Tho I have never baked a cake directly from scratch, I think I will have to venture out a bit and try this one. It looks SO delicious. I wish I had some right now!!
3:17
am
This cake looks yummy. I printed up the recipe and plan to make it soon ! Thanks Suzanne. I have made a lot of the Grandmother Bread and the recipe has not failed me yet !KathyB.
3:22
am
Oooh, that definitely looks like one to try out, and then make one for a family reunion. Desserts at my reunions are getting lazy. I miss the old fashioned home made cakes and pies. Mmmm I can almost taste that cake!
3:40
am
Looks like a great recipe. I will have to try it some time.
4:55
am
Oh, yum! I can taste it! My grandmother used to make this cake and there have been times I’ve wondered how to make it. Thanks, Suzanne.
6:59
am
Suzanne,
Thanks again for another great recipe! xxoo
I have eaten burnt sugar cake in Harrisonburg, VA, but yours looks so much more appealing. However did you get it to look that good coming out of the pans? Now I want some! You are just the best at making me want to turn that dadgum oven on before Fall.
7:00
am
Yummy. I might have to try this. I agree with the flour business. Cant be bothered buying special flower for cakes and breads. lol.
7:00
am
That looks wonderful!
7:22
am
What an incredible looking thing to wake up too!
(Now I’m REALLY hungry.)
7:25
am
It looks good enough for Southern Living Magazine or Paula Dean’s magazine and I think it would put Martha Stewart to shame for sure. Never heard of this before but copied the recipe to make.
thanks for the forum too - so nice to see what others write and where they are from
7:31
am
Oh, it sounds like a lot of work, but worth every minute of it from seeing the photos you took. I just might have to try this as I believe my grandmother used to make it.
7:46
am
You know I had no idea that this cake had an offical name.
My granny used to make this, I thought it was just like a pecan cake, cause I’d always pick them off the outside before I ate it.
Weird to find out that it had a real “offical” name!
And you are right its one of those things you just have to have to understand It wasn’t my favorite she’d make though but it was good stuff.
7:50
am
Suzanne! this recipe can be called:
Burnt Sugar Cake a/k/a Kitchen Chore Boot Cake! ha
I will attempt on Sunday!! I love recipes with unusual steps…makes me feel like a “real” cook….whatever that is…I have trouble baking though….the bottoms of my baked goods tend to be hard..I tried several different types of pans, oven temp., rack arrangements..who knows…how can this be so hard? throw it in the oven and go! but you know…maybe its my careless measurements..for example, above it calls for 1/2 cup water minus 1 teaspoon? Now y’all, why does that 1 teensy tiny teaspoon of water matter? are you telling me the originator of this recipe sat down to take of bite of the finished product and said, ‘”you know…this is good but it’s a tad watery..next time I will do without an extra teaspoon!”
see… I am a rebel cook.
Have a great weekend!!!!
Tresh in Oklahoma
ps: “Beeyourself”…where are you? you are an early commentor…do not be afraid after yesterday…its all good!!!
7:58
am
I bet an extra teaspoon one way or another wouldn’t make any difference. The idea is, apparently, that you add the teaspoon of vanilla to the 1/2 cup of burnt sugar syrup and then fill the cup on up to a full one cup with water, so that makes it a 1/2 cup of water minus one teaspoon! Our grannies probably just did it this way without thinking too much about it cuz you know they weren’t writing the recipe down anyway, LOL.
8:05
am
That looks delicious. Makes me want cake for breakfast.
8:16
am
Our fair is coming up, this may just be the perfect cake to enter! My almost 13 wants to enter Grandmother Bread. She hasn’t ever made it on her own, we’ll do that this weekend. This is something the 16 can do (she’s the pancake maker in this house).
8:34
am
Tresha — I’m here! I’m just drooling all over the desk. That cake looks wonderful!
8:40
am
Suzanne,
I too love old old recipes (receipts as Grandma used to say). Grandma made a burnt sugar cake too and you’ve inspired me to get moving on it again. Thanks!
I have many old recipes of Grandma’s; I’ll try and post one or two that are “ole-timey”, but not too long - and no really strange ones like “headcheese”.
8:42
am
I am searching thru the cabinets looking for all the ingredents for this wonderful looking cake. Wish we had smell-a-computer!
8:42
am
8:49
am
8:54
am
Ok… Just stop! If you keep on making these wonderful looking recipes and I make them, then I’m gonna get out of shape and my First Sergeant and Lieutenant will kill me… That looks so good I can almost taste it. I would make it but we don’t exactly have all the ingredients having just moved not to long ago…
8:59
am
That cake looks wonderful. Suzanne, I love ya, but I have to say you are wrong about cake flour. The reason some recipes call for it is simply because of gluten content and how the gluten reacts with the fats and liquids in a recipe. You can make most recipes that call for “fancy” flour with all purpose flour just fine, but cake flour will make a finer crumb in most cases. I say most cases, because there are always exceptions. Now, sifting flour can be a waste of time…..I won’t geet started on that one!
9:04
am
That’s okay, Lora! What I mean is that =I= just won’t make a recipe that requires it. If a recipe can’t come out right without special cake or bread flour, then it’s not a recipe that will become a regular in my house and it won’t show up on my blog. Cake flour and bread flour is too expensive. I won’t pay extra for it. I’d rather find another recipe that works without it-it’s just more practical!
9:08
am
I do have cake and bread and pastry flour- I’m going to use the cake flour and see if it isn’t as light as a feather!:)
I can’t help it- I teach bread making classes and people want to know the science behind the bread when they are paying for a class. And the wheat does make a difference because of it’s gluten making properties- OK- enough of that! I just wanted to explain why there are so many flours out there. All purpose is exactly that- all purpose and can be used for everything!
Your cake is beautiful- you should have entered it in the fair!
9:12
am
That looks delicious!
I’m with you on the cake and bread flour. They didn’t have that stuff when the Grannies were creating these delicious treats.
By the way, is the flower, on your daily photo, a Wild Touch-Me-Not?
9:16
am
I hope I have all these ingredients cuz this is what I want to make today. Not sure it will come out like yours. My daughter and I in the kitchen seem to have disasters all the time. Yesterday when making zucchini bread she turned on the mixer too high and out it all splattered. So that was that for the zucchini bread but then she made her flax wheat loaf and that was great.
You did forget one important ingredient for the cake though Rumor has it by you that you are pant-less so maybe I need to try that when baking, not sure that would go over too well with all the grandkids running around. It is a bit chilly oday too.
And I can just see you on Paula Deans show (or with Martha) with both of you Pant-less talking about your recipes. Oh my Food Network is achangin’ fast now.
Blessings.
9:16
am
I am going to try this for a pair of October birthdays. Did you grease the cake pans? I love melted sugar.
9:17
am
I want some. I don’t bake. I don’t cook. Suzanne, would you please bring a piece of your wonderful cake to my door in Atlanta??? Emma (my cat) and I would love it.
9:19
am
I’m not sure what that flower is (in the daily farm photo).
Laura, yes, I greased the cake pans. Ack, I left that out. I’ll go add it to the post. Thanks!
9:24
am
I WILL SEND YOU MY “OLD FAIHFUL” BURNT SUGAR CAKE. IT IS AS OLD AS DIRT. IT ALSO INCLUDES A BURNT SUGAR BOILED FROSTING. YOU MAY WANT TO TRY IT SOMETIME. USE IT IN ANY WAY YOU SEE FIT.
9:27
am
I pulled up your blog a little while ago and totally had a a flashback to the fifties when I saw that cake. My mother used to make that burnt sugar frosting all the time. I remember it because….at the time….I didn’t like it at all. Now who knows….I was an ‘early’ teenager at the time and I didn’t like a lot of thing so I may love it now. But I hadn’t thought of it in years. The only other thing I have used burnt or carmelized sugar for was a pioneer candy recipe from my mother’s line of people. You make it from sugar and evaporated milk burning or carmelizing the sugar first. It’s very good but is very hard to make. They named it “Patience” because that’s what it takes to make it and is what I do not have. But when made well, yummy.
9:32
am
Oh my, does that look delicious.
10:38
am
Have you ever heard of the Foxfire books? They were really hot in the late 60’s, early 70’s. They will tell you everything from how to scald a hog to playing a dulcimer. And they also have pictures. Lots of Appalachian photos of people making soap and all kinds of good stuff. Great for people wanting to go ‘back to the land’. Check it out! There are volumes and volumes of them.
Sooz in NV
10:40
am
That looks so good! I love burnt-sugar frosting on a chocolate dump cake. I am going to try your recipe next weekend. Thank you for sharing it!
You know what else I love? Your hand mixer. I have a stand mixer that I rarely use. I just like my hand mixer.
11:14
am
OMG! You are going to get me in so much trouble. I can tell this one’s a winner!
11:21
am
11:26
am
That looks so yummy!
11:30
am
It’s been a lot of years since I made Burnt Sugar Cake. My Grandmother used to make it also. Yours looks so light and fluffy I’m just going to have to make one by your recipe right now. Thanks for doing all the experimenting and just giving us the final wonderful recipe.
12:03
pm
I Googled the flower and it looks like a wild touch me not.
Try Googling it and see for sure.
The reason I asked is…
My Dad always told me if you crush the stem and put the juice on poison ivy, it will get rid of it overnight. I cannot find it here in SC. If you ever get poison ivy, it might be worth a try.
Remember where it grows, you might have a hard time finding it when the flowers die off. I know I did, when I lived in WV.
12:12
pm
That cake looks divine. Thank you for the recipe.
Have a great weekend.
12:37
pm
YUUUUUMMMMMMMM that looks so scrumptions Suzanne!!! When you mentioned you were going to post this, it reminded me of a cake I saw in Maya Angelou’s cookbook “Hallelujah the Welcome Table”, that I have wanted to make for a few years now and never did. When I saw you post this, this am…again, it reminded me of hers, so I am going to post her recipe and see if it is the same. It’s a cookbook of the foods she grew up on and has some WONDERFUL recipes for everything from Hogshead Cheese, to Tomato Rice…Hot Water Cornbread, Spoon bread…all kinds of dishes of every kind.
Hers is called Caramel Cake
Caramel Cake
1 stick of Butter
1 and 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup Caramel Syrup (recipe follows)
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
Caramel Frosting (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two 8 inch layer cake pans with greased wax paper.
In large bowl, beat butter, and add 1 cup sugar gradually until light and fluffy. Beat in syrup.
In medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add sifted ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with milk.
In seperate medium mixing bowl, beat eggs about 3 minutes, until foamy. Add remaining sugar, and beat until there is a fine spongy foam. Stir into cake batter until well blended.
Divide batter between cake pans. Bake for about 25 minutes. Remove pans from oven. Gently press center of cake with forefinger. Cake should spring back when finger is removed. If it doesn’t, return to oven for 10 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack, and remove wax paper. Let cakes cool to room temp. before frosting.
To assemble: Center one cooled cake layer on cake plate. Cover top and sides with generous helping of frosting. Place second layer evenly on frosted layer. Repeat frosting procedure. Make certain that sides are completely frosted. Cool in fridge until ready to serve.
Caramel Syrup
1 cup white sugar
1 cup boiling water
Heat sugar in heavy skillet over low heat. Stir constantly until melted to a brown liquid. When it bubbles over entire surface, remove from heat. Slowly add boiling water, stirring constantly. Pour into container and cool.
The picture looks divine…it has a piece cut out, so you can see the dark brown edges of the cake layers and the icking is more thin looking than yours…she has this syrup drizzled all over the surface of the cake. She also has stories with her recipes, telling how her momma made her this cake when little - the teacher slapped her in the face!!!! SAD! I HOPE TO TRY one day.
My grandmother cooked like that…she gave me her spongecake recipe and mine did not turn out…she just knew it by heart, for years.
12:41
pm
I usually use unsalted butter when I bake..does it matter? Or should I use salted?
Cake is my FAV dessert..then cookies. LOL I THINK I also saw a similar recipe in my mother’s OLD Betty Crocker cookbook.
12:45
pm
I really don’t know (re the butter). I always use sweet, salted butter. In everything!
12:58
pm
OMG, I forgot the Caramel Frosting…I post it here. Thanks Suzanne…I usually use sweet unsalted butter in all my baking and when I made my shortbread cookies recently with salted, they didn’t taste AS good to me…but I wasn’t sure. I am no baking expert. LOL
Caramel Frosting
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
One 8-ounce pkg. Confectioners’ sugar
4 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Brown butter in heavy pot over medium heat - be vigilant or it will burn. Allow butter to cool. In large mixing bowl, add confect.’s sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and salt to the butter, and beat until smooth. If frosting is too stiff, add tablespoon of half-and-half or full cream to thin.
1:29
pm
I think you need to add a photography book into the deal when you start the childrens series and the cookbooks. You photography is always fun to look at and you make food look soooo good. I try a lot of your recipes and I am never disappointed. Thank you for entertaining us and feeding us.
1:29
pm
1:43
pm
Actually there is not much difference between cake flour and all purpose flour. If you want to make a homemade version take 2 cups of all purpose flour minus 2 Tablespoons
2 Tablespoons of cornstarch
(or as mom used to do 2Tbs of cornstarch in a 1 cup measuring cup and then fill with flour)
Then sift it like 10 times to make it lighter and fluffier then reg flour.
1:48
pm
That has to be the move amazing looking cake! I’m trying it this weekend!
2:04
pm
Although I know I’ll never make it, I enjoy hearing how you make these scrumptious deserts.
2:08
pm
This looks so good. We are having a nice fall day here in Colorado — cool, cloudy. Perfect day for cake baking (er, I mean eating)
2:47
pm
I also love the way you decorated it Suzanne!!! So pretty and I LOVE LOVE LOVE pecans!!!!!
I am hoping you try my recipe above one day and tell me if they are similar. LOL They sound close. YOurs looks HEAVENLY.
3:30
pm
The cake looks yummy!
4:12
pm
What did I do wrong? My icing never did thicken up, it stayed in the dark runny stage. The kids tried it anyway and said it tasted like Dimetapp. Maybe too much stirring?
4:41
pm
Remudamom-I’m confused. It doesn’t sound as if you are talking about the icing-it sounds as if you are talking about the burnt sugar syrup itself? You don’t need to wait for the burnt sugar syrup to thicken unless you are using it as make-do pancake syrup. Otherwise, you add it to the icing ingredients-the powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla, and beat. If it’s too thin, you can add more powdered sugar (or add milk or water if it’s too thick).
5:01
pm
Does this have a caramel taste? It sounds delicious! Thanks for posting.
5:14
pm
Brandy, yes, the flavor is similar to caramel, though not quite the same.
6:44
pm
Now that is a yummy looking cake!
8:22
pm
How delectable-looking! I can’t wait to shed a few more pounds so I can bake this cake and share it with others! I do have a couple of questions. Is the sugar used in the Burnt Sugar Syrup recipe granulated sugar? Can brown sugar be used in its place?
10:01
pm
Flash back to my childhood! I miss all those old-timey things that my my Mamaws, Aunts and Mom used to whip up for Sunday get togethers!
Thank you for the leg work and the recipe!
Traci
11:35
pm
Hi, Kayis! The sugar in the recipe is white granulated sugar (just regular sugar). I haven’t tried making the burnt sugar syrup with brown sugar so I really don’t know. If you try it, please come back and tell us how it goes!
12:12
am
Hello new friend…
I just stumbled on your blog and boy am I glad I did….this recipe looks delicious!!
I have a recipe on my blog for caramel dumplings which my mother and grandmother used to make.
It has the same burnt sugar syrup, but you drop sweet dumplings into it and it makes it’s own sauce.
I will be back often.
8:00
am
Wow this looks incredibly yummy! Can you pass me a piece?
1:49
pm
Suzanne, Kayis, if it is any help…I was reading in the cookbook I mentioned above by Maya Angelou…on her recipe above…and in her story, she mentioned the women did not have brown sugar, is why they had to make it with the granulated/water…so I am assuming you can. I have not made either cake, so I don’t know.
She mentioned them making desserts for quilting bees…LOL
Her book is full of old Southern recipes. Biscuits, tomato rice, fried chicken, shortribs…good tips.
2:38
pm
Yummy looking cake, now I need something sweet.
10:18
am
That looks soooo good. Great instructions too! I love cooked sugar.
5:37
pm
I have never heard of Burnt Sugar Cake but this recipe looks divine! Can’t wait to try it!
11:34
am
This looks amazing, I want a slice right now!!
11:50
am
this sounds fantastic! i will try asap!
12:28
pm
Every time I have made Burnt sugar cake, the syrup hardens to candy. What can I do to prevent that?
12:35
pm
Hi, Claire! First I have a question about your burnt sugar syrup recipe-are you using equal parts sugar and water? Second, watch your temperature setting. I use medium-low (right between those two positions). Third, a tip while simmering the syrup-if any of the syrup gets around the edges of the pan (away from the heat) it may harden. Scrape those bits toward the center of the pan. I hope that helps!