Louisiana syrup cake with gingerbread spice and a crunchy southern pecan topping can be served with whipped cream or ice cream for an easy holiday treat.
Louisiana Syrup Cake
(Cajun Gingerbread or Gateau au Sirop)
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
My recipe of the day with Baking Bloggers, a group I manage on Facebook with other blogging friends that posts once monthly on a topic we vote on as a group.
For December, that topic turned out to be gingerbread, much loved in its many forms by most people this time of year, whether you celebrate Christmas or not.
This particular version of gingerbread is a form of gateau au sirop, or syrup cake, that is popular down in Louisiana. To create the recipe, I took inspiration from the cakes of this type made by Nancie McDermott as well as Emeril Lagasse, and also, a prune cake my cousin is famous for.
So it is a lovechild of all three. As you can see, it is simply covered in pecans, which have a nice sticky coating on them, which goes into the cake a little bit.
I had never made this version before (since I hadn’t had access to Steen’s) but was excited to try this and it did not disappoint.
The flavor is pure gingerbread with the characteristics of the Steen’s syrup, which is in some ways similar to a dark corn syrup but not made from corn. It is much beloved in the south and is a bit lighter in color than molasses. But if you can find it, use it because you will just love it.
Baking Bloggers December 2018
Gingerbread
- Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Glaze by Sneha’s Recipe
- Ginger Cream Sandwich Cake by Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking
- Gingerbread Madeleines by Caroline’s Cooking
- Gingerbread Men by Cook with Renu
- Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Gingerbread Cookies by Simply Inspired Meals
- Louisiana Syrup Cake (Cajun Gingerbread) by Palatable Pastime
- Russian Pryanik Gingerbread by Pandemonium Noshery
- Orange Cranberry Gingerbread by Food Lust People Love
- Piernik by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Poussins aux Pain d’Epices by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Louisiana Syrup Cake
Cake Ingredients:
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups Steen’s pure cane syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
- 3/4 cup eggnog or buttermilk
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Topping:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2 tablespoons Steen’s pure cane syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray an 8 or 9 inch baking pan with Baker’s release spray or grease and flour, shaking out excess.
- Mix together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.
- Separately, mix the cane syrup, egg, and cooled melted butter.
- Heat the eggnog in the microwave until hot, then stir in the baking soda; it will foam (that’s ok).
- Stir the eggnog into the wet mixture then all the wet mixture into the flour mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until it is set and done in the center (test with a toothpick).
- Stir together the topping ingredients, except for the pecans.
- Spread half the topping over the cake with a spatula, then sprinkle the pecans over.
- Top the pecans with the remaining sugar topping.
- Bake for 2-3 minutes so the butter is liquid and soaks into the cake, then remove from the oven and cool completely.
- Serve at room temp or warm it up and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com
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I’m swooning over that topping Sue.
I can always find cane syrup down here, maybe not the Steen’s but I’m sure it would work out just fine. Now I’m inspired to make and bring this to a potluck.
That pecan topping looks so decadent! Is cane syrup similar to what I would call golden syrup in the UK?
It has much more of a sorghum flavor than Lyle’s. The recipe would work, but it would have a bit different flavor. The Steen’s not quite as dark as molasses. But it has more flavor than the color suggests. If you can order it, you should try it.
Not even close!!! Cane syrup is pure cane juiced into a syrup. It’s almost like a molasses only still really different. It’s a truly unique flavor all it’s own. Hope you get to try some, especially Steens
True, but any syrup will work. It will just have a very different flavor. It can be had online.
Woah. I’m without words. This looks amazing.
Wow Sue! I’m completely blown away. I’m going to have to hunt down Steen’s! Love exploring new (to me) ingredients.
This looks rich and sinful, yum!