We are still celebrating Easter! 50 days of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus which means 50 days of feasting! We are practicing resurrection over here with one of our favorite recipes, Gateau de Sirop or Cane Syrup Cake.
Cane Syrup is a pale amber syrup made from sugar cane. I am from the panhandle of Florida which was heavily influenced by the French and sugar cane was an important staple crop. Sugar cane grew well in our area and was affordable. As a child, I didn’t grow up using real maple syrup. It was way too expensive. If you used syrup, it was cane syrup or artificial syrups like Log Cabin or Karo.
My mother-in-law, who grew up in rural western Alabama, remembers her daddy growing and harvesting sugar cane. Two mules went around in a circle turning a machine that ground up the sugar cane. He would take the sugar cane juice and boil it until it turned into a golden liquid (cane syrup) and put it in cans. Cane syrup is much thinner than maple syrup and it is not nearly as sweet. It has a very mild flavor with a unique flavor. You might not know this but if you boil the cane syrup a second time you get molasses and if you boil it a third time, you get blackstrap molasses.
This cake is delicious and really easy to make. It’s really moist and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and the unique and delicate flavor of cane syrup. If you don't have access to cane syrup, maple syrup will do just fine!
Top it with homemade whipped cream and a drizzle of cane syrup and enjoy! It's an easy and delicious way to practice resurrection in your home!
Gâteau de Sirop (Syrup Cake)
1 large egg
1 ½ cups pure cane syrup (I used Steen's Cane Syrup but you could use maple syrup as well)
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup hot water
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour sifted, plus more for pan
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch round (or 9-inch square) baking pan with butter, and dust with flour.
Whisk together egg, cane syrup, and oil in a medium bowl until well blended. Whisk together hot water and baking soda in a small bowl. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a second medium bowl. Stir flour mixture into syrup mixture, alternating with water mixture, stirring until just combined after each addition, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour. Remove from pan. If desired, top with sweetened whipped cream and drizzle with additional cane syrup.
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