Recipe: Caramel Syrup Cake (Mary Margaret McBride recipe, 1950's)

CARAMEL SYRUP CAKE

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup Caramel Syrup (recipe follows)
1/4 cup milk
Burnt Sugar Frosting (recipe follows)

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Stir in vanilla and each egg one at a time, mix well.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately fold into butter mixture with 2/3 cup Caramel Syrup and milk. Stir or mix vigorously for several minutes. Pour into well greased and floured 9-inch square pan.

Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees F) about 35 minutes or until center springs back when touched lightly. Remove from pan; cool on cake rack.

Ice with Burnt Sugar Frosting.

CARAMEL SYRUP
Makes 1 cup (2/3 cup for the cake, 1/3 cup for the frosting)

1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup boiling water

Place 1 1/2 quart saucepan containing sugar, on medium-high heat. Stir constantly with wooden spoon until sugar changes to grayish lumps (sugar masses) and then to dark brown liquid. Slowly pour 3/4 cup boiling water down side of pan, stirring liquid sugar as you do (it will steam and bubble). Boil 5 minutes. Keep warm.

BURNT SUGAR FROSTING
Makes enough for top and sides of 9-inch square cake

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup Caramel Syrup
1 egg white

In top pan of double boiler combine sugar, burnt sugar syrup, and egg white. Place over boiling water, beating until frosting stands in peaks when beater is drawn out (takes about 4 minutes).

Makes 1 (9-inch) square cake
Source: Encyclopedia of Cooking by Mary Margaret McBride, 1958