Gateau de Sirop

Who’s your Mama, are you Catholic, and Can you Make a Roux? This is the name of a 2-collection set of cookbooks that are considered Louisiana classics and written by Marcelle Bienvenu. Marcelle is a friend - she is an amazing chef and food writer. You may remember her column in the Times Picayune called, Cooking Creole!

Several years ago, Marcelle wrote an article about a cake — a simple cake called Gateau de Sirop. This cake is a very simple cake to make, but Marcelle quoted her mom in her article regarding the secret to the success of this cake, and that secret is boiling water, and I repeat — boiling water. Now, by now you’re probably wondering what is a Gateau de Sirop. It is just a Syrup cake that is highly praised in South Louisiana. So every good Catholic should have this cake in their recipe repertoire!

Gateau de Sirop

• ½ cup vegetable oil
  
• 1 ½ cups Steen's Cane Syrup
  
• 1 egg, beaten
  
• 2 ½ cups sifted flour
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1 teaspoon ginger
  
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  
• ¾ cup boiling water
  

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch round or square pan. Combine oil, syrup, and beaten egg. Stir until well blended. Mix and resift dry ingredients, except soda. Add dry ingredients to the oil, Syrup, and egg mixture alternately with the hot water in which the soda has been dissolved. Begin and end with flour mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 45 minutes.

Thank you Travis Dunn for providing us with the photo of your Gateau de Sirop!