Burnt Sugar Cake

 

My daughter, Cynthia, likes burnt sugar cake for her birthdays. So we have made a few. My husband always made the burnt sugar for me and I would make the cake and frosting. When he passed on, I had to learn to do it. So this is part of my learning more patience.As I make this about once a year, I have to remember how I did the previous year. I make it the old fashion way of cooking it in a cast iron skillet, and added the water to the burnt sugar a little at a time and slowly. There are many videos of how to make burnt sugar, I would suggest viewing one of those.
Here is the recipe I use adapted from an old Betty Crocker cookbook.
Burnt Sugar Cake
Slowly melt one cup sugar in a cast iron skillet. When melted and turned slightly brown add 1 cup water, very slowly. This splatters and will burn you if not careful. Stir slowly until sugar is melted into water and is liquid.  Pour this into a glass measuring cup.

This does make about 1 cup, I just forgot to take a picture fast enough, and used 1/2 of in the cake recipe. I saved this for the frosting.

I judge about how much this liquid makes and divide into 2 glass containers, one for the cake recipe and one for the frosting recipe.
Add enough water to the one of the containers to make 1 cup liquid, burnt sugar. Set aside.
Cream together until fluffy: 1/2 cup vegetable shortening and 1 1/3 cups sugar.
Beat in thoroughly: 3 eggs, one at a time to incorporate well.
Sift together and add: 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Add the flour alternately with the liquid sugar mixture and beat well until light and fluffy.
Divide this batter between 2 prepared (greased and floured) 9" round cake pans.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Test with a toothpick, insert and comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, turn out and cool completely. Frost with Burnt Sugar Frosting, below.

Burnt Sugar Frosting
 To one pound of powered sugar, mix in 6 tablespoons softened butter and slowly add from the 1/2 cup of burnt sugar liquid. If you need to add more liquid, what I did was add about 1/4 cup water into the measuring cup from which I had the burnt sugar liquid and added a tablespoon at a time to make the frosting just right. I did get mine a little too creamy, as you can tell from the picture. Needs to be a little more stiff.

Now frost your cake and enjoy!