Recipe: Reverend Brown's Cake with Soft Caramel Sauce (1870's)

REVEREND BROWN'S CAKE

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
golden raisins (optional, for garnish)

Set oven rack in the center position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with vegetable spray. A regular 9-inch round cake pan will do. Cut a parchment paper or wax paper liner to fit the bottom. Coat liner with spray, dust the entire pan with flour. Tap out excess flour.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cloves.

Cream butter and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk and stir after each addition. Pour into pan.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Remove from pan and place on rack.

When cool, pour warm Soft Caramel Sauce over the cake and smooth top and sides. Sprinkle top with golden raisins if desired.

SOFT CARAMEL SAUCE
Makes about 2 cups

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine sugar, water and syrup in heavy saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Dip a brush in water and wash down insides of pan. Reduce heat to medium high. Do not stir. Continue boiling until mixture turns golden brown, about 6 minutes.

Remove from heat and add butter, stirring slowly until melted. Add cream and stir again. Add salt.

Store in jars up to 2 weeks in refrigerator.

Makes 12 servings
Source: Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters: More than 100 Years of Recipes Discovered from Family Cookbooks, Original Journals, Scraps of Paper, and Grandmothers Kitchen by Marilynn Brass and Sheila Brass