Brown Velvet Cake & Icing
Sunday, January 24th, 2010Brown Velvet Cake
I saw this recipe in a 1952 cookbook from the “Ladies of the three Methodist churches on Dunkinsville (Ohio) charge – Dunkinsville, Jacksonville and Cedar Mills” – my father’s first pastorate while he was attending college. When I made the cake I made a few changes to make it simpler. There was a butterscotch icing recipe that accompanied this recipe, but I changed it, too. I added a little cocoa, decreased the sugar (hard to believe considering the amount of sugar in this cake & icing), used butter instead of shortening - and changed the name to “Brown Velvet Icing” The cake is very good – but very sweet.
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup sour cream
2 egg yolks
4 Tablespoons hot water
2 ¼ cups cake flour
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup shortening
½ cup water
5 teaspoons cocoa
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
2 egg whites
Cream together the brown sugar and shortening. Add the sour cream and ½ cup water and mix well. Add 2 well beaten egg yolks. Combine cocoa with the hot water to make a paste and add. Mix together flour, salt and soda and combine with the other ingredients. Last, fold in stiffly beaten egg whites to which vanilla has been added. Pour into 2 layer pans and bake 30 minutes at 350 degree oven. Be careful not to overcook.
Brown Velvet Icing
2 cups brown sugar
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
Combine brown sugar, cocoa, shortening, butter and salt in pan; bring to a boil; add milk and boil 3 minutes. Cool and add powdered sugar and beat until thick.
