My friend Joe sent me a message on Facebook a few weeks ago.

I really hate saying that.  “…on Facebook.”  I watched The Social Network and have decided that there’s nothing likable about Mark Zuckerberg, nor does it appeal to me to add to his quarter-of-a-bazillion-trillion dollar company.

But all my friends are on it…so…

Anyways, Joe was asking me about Burnt Sugar Cake.

Joe and I share a love of old recipes.  When he finds one, he always shares…and I do the same.  He also was kind enough to donate his vast collection of decorator pans to a certain bakery.  Thanks, Joe!

I had never heard of a burnt sugar cake.  Joe described it as “not really a caramel, but something so much better.”

Better than caramel?  Dude, let’s find that recipe!

And lo and behold…I found one.

Where?  In my Grandmother’s recipe box.  Duh.

From McCall’s Magazine…I can’t find the year on this one…On the back is a Duncan Hines ad, pushing their “New Gold Box”.  So…whatever year that was.

And let me tell ya, this is one sugary cake.

We make sugar before we make the cake, we put sugar in the cake, then we frost the cake with more sugar.

Not for the faint of heart.  Or the low-carb-er’s in the crowd.

So let’s make the burnt sugar…the before-the-cake sugar.

1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan.  Crank the heat.

The sugar will start to melt…just shake it a bit.Keep shaking…then start stirring and cook until it turns this pretty amber color.Now add 2/3 cup boiling water…slowly.

This is where things get pretty cray-cray.  Mine started hardening…So I hurried and put it back on the heat to re-melt the sugared pieces.  It worked.

Bring this back to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes.  It will thicken.Pour this into a glass container and allow it to cool.

Now let’s make the cake part.  With sugar, of course.

Cream together 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar, then add two eggs – beating well after each addition.While that’s beating, sift together 2 cups cake flour, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and a pinch of salt.When your sugar-eggs-butter mixture becomes nice and lightAdd the burnt sugar.  Mine had hardened slightly…I just threw it in the microwave for about 8 seconds and it poured right in.Again – The burnt sugar started to harden up again.  I just pretended like I didn’t see it.

Add the flour mixture alternating with 2/3 cup milk.  Beginning and ending with the flour.

Once again, STELLAR job at photographing the process.  Stellar.

So from here…Split the batter between two greased 8″ cake rounds.  We go to a 375 oven for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool completely.Okay.  I was really thinking this cake needed another layer of sugar.  How about some frosting?

2 cups brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 5 tbsp whole milkHeat until it boils, then boil for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour into the mixer with 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp baking powder.Beat for 5 minutes.

It looks like this:I think if I had replaced the milk with cream, the frosting would have come out a bit thicker.

No matter.

Take one of the cake layers and pour on the frosting.Now stack the second layer on that.  Pour on the remainder of the frosting.That’s right…right off the side you go!

And walnuts don’t suck, either.Hey, can we see the side?Woo!  That is one big hunka sugar!

Oh, did you want a bite?

Burnt Sugar Cake

From McCall’s Magazine

Caramel Syrup

1/2 cup sugar

2/3 cup boiling water.

Melt sugar in heavy skillet over medium heat.  Shake pan until sugar begins to melt and turns a dark amber.  Slowly add boiling water, stirring constantly.  If the sugar begins to harden, don’t worry.  Return the pan to the heat and boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Pour into glass cup and allow to cool.

For the Cake

2 cups cake flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Pinch salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease 2 8″ round pans.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In  a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, add eggs one at a time.  Beat until light.  Add the cooled burnt sugar mixture (may microwave if too hard to pour) and stir to combine.  Don’t worry if the sugar hardens again, it will melt again in the oven.  Add the flour mixture to the egg-sugar-butter-burnt sugar mixture, alternating with the milk.  Divide batter between the two prepared cake pans.  Bake 20 minutes.  Allow to cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

5 tbsp whole milk (or cream)

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking powder

In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Allow to boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the vanilla and baking powder, beat on high until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, about 5 minutes.

To assemble the cake:

Lay one layer of cake on the plate.  Pour about half of the caramel frosting over the layer, allowing it to run off the sides a bit.  Top with remaining layer of cake, then pour the remaining frosting over the top layer.  Top with walnuts and serve.

Seriously old-time recipe.  Seriously decadent.  Seriously good.

And Joe?  Does this sound like what you remember?