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I would have never known about burnt sugar cake let alone a burnt sugar cake recipe if not for my aunt Rae. She found this broken up recipe in the depths of somewhere (who knows where). She texted me to see if I could bring her dad’s recipe and I agreed. I love a challenge. Now the question: How’s a tiny white girl supposed to remake the recipe of a Hispanic dad from the 70s? Apparently with a love of old recipes and the confidence of a four year old in a bat-man shirt.
The Story of the Burnt Sugar Cake
As a kid, Aunt Rae ‘s dad was known for making this cake. He passed away in the 1980s (and last made the cake quite some time before that). He cooked down the extra icing into candy. This was the kids’ snack while they walked to school. No one could touch it for a day to let it get its signature “cracking” or a thin shell on the frosting.
Aunt Rae had never made the cake because it was, “unable to be recreated,” by any of her seven siblings. So, she entrusted me to replicate this recipe. The first attempt I made (with a lot of googling) was a total crap shoot.
From the recipes and blog posts I read trying to figure out what the heck this recipe was. I learned that everyone was in the same boat. Someone’s grandmother made it for every public gathering but never wrote down the quirks that came with the cake. According to the sheer joy on Aunt Rae’s face, I didn’t totally biff it.
Supplies
Stand mixer
3 mixing bowls
Silicone Spatula
Wooden spoon
Cake stand/cake plate
Small saucepan
Sifter or whisk
Cast iron skillet
Glass Jar with lid
Recipe Card
Burnt Sugar Cake
Caramel flavored cake with subtle nuttiness.
Ingredients
Burnt Sugar Syrup
Cake
Icing
Instructions
Burnt Sugar Syrup
-
Place sugar in a cast iron skillet. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook the sugar until it is completely melted and has turned an amber brown, about 8- 10 minutes. If the sugar is lumpy, break up the lumps with the wooden spoon.
-
Turn off the heat and let it cool. Pour into a glass jar and allow to cool completely overnight. This makes about 1 cup of syrup.
Cake
-
Preheat the oven to 350 deg. Prepare 2, 9 in round cake pans by greasing them with margarine and a thin layer of flour. Place a parchment paper circle at the bottom and grease the parchment.
-
Beat sugar, margarine, and egg yolks until fluffy. Add water, vanilla, & sifted flour, salt and baking powder. Beat well & add in ½ cup of the sugar syrup. The batter will be slightly thick. Gently fold in egg whites.
-
Pour evenly into 2, 9 inch pans and bake for 25 min, rotating after 12 min.
Icing
-
Melt sugar in a medium saucepan w/ margarine, cream & peanut butter. Bring to a boil and cook until thick (about 10 minutes).
-
Add powdered sugar and mix together. Let cool for 15 minutes or else the cake will break.
Building the Cake
-
Let the cakes cool completely before building. Level both cakes (I usually just take the highest part of the dome off). Place one cake onto your cake plate. Dab a little (about a tablespoon) of burnt sugar syrup onto each of the cakes.
-
Spread a thinish layer of the icing on top of the cake on the cake plate. Top with the second cake and spread with the rest of the icing. Do this a little at a time, the icing should be about ⅛ – ¼ in thick all the way around so it just starts to drip over the sides.
-
Let it sit uncovered for about 2 hrs. Wrap loosely with plastic wrap or cake plate lid and let sit in the fridge or a cool, dry place overnight.
Note
- Fiji water is fluorinated, you can also find it in the baby section.
- The cake does not always require all of the icing.
To make candy from the extra icing, place the pan back on medium low heat and cook for about 10 more minutes. It will get runny and harden as it cools. Pour icing onto parchment and let cool. The final candy will be the texture of hard toffee.
I made final changes and wrote a complete recipe to share the taste that brought so much joy to the Soza Family.
Handpicked Recipes
Burnt Sugar Cake
Caramel flavored cake with subtle nuttiness.
Ingredients
Burnt Sugar Syrup
Cake
Icing
Instructions
Burnt Sugar Syrup
-
Place sugar in a cast iron skillet. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook the sugar until it is completely melted and has turned an amber brown, about 8- 10 minutes. If the sugar is lumpy, break up the lumps with the wooden spoon.
-
Turn off the heat and let it cool. Pour into a glass jar and allow to cool completely overnight. This makes about 1 cup of syrup.
Cake
-
Preheat the oven to 350 deg. Prepare 2, 9 in round cake pans by greasing them with margarine and a thin layer of flour. Place a parchment paper circle at the bottom and grease the parchment.
-
Beat sugar, margarine, and egg yolks until fluffy. Add water, vanilla, & sifted flour, salt and baking powder. Beat well & add in ½ cup of the sugar syrup. The batter will be slightly thick. Gently fold in egg whites.
-
Pour evenly into 2, 9 inch pans and bake for 25 min, rotating after 12 min.
Icing
-
Melt sugar in a medium saucepan w/ margarine, cream & peanut butter. Bring to a boil and cook until thick (about 10 minutes).
-
Add powdered sugar and mix together. Let cool for 15 minutes or else the cake will break.
Building the Cake
-
Let the cakes cool completely before building. Level both cakes (I usually just take the highest part of the dome off). Place one cake onto your cake plate. Dab a little (about a tablespoon) of burnt sugar syrup onto each of the cakes.
-
Spread a thinish layer of the icing on top of the cake on the cake plate. Top with the second cake and spread with the rest of the icing. Do this a little at a time, the icing should be about ⅛ - ¼ in thick all the way around so it just starts to drip over the sides.
-
Let it sit uncovered for about 2 hrs. Wrap loosely with plastic wrap or cake plate lid and let sit in the fridge or a cool, dry place overnight.
Note
- Fiji water is fluorinated, you can also find it in the baby section.
- The cake does not always require all of the icing.
To make candy from the extra icing, place the pan back on medium low heat and cook for about 10 more minutes. It will get runny and harden as it cools. Pour icing onto parchment and let cool. The final candy will be the texture of hard toffee.
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