1870 Mahogany Cake

⏱ 50 mins 🍽 6-8 serving(s) 🏷 Dessert

This is a vintage recipe for a classic Mahogany Cake, featuring rich cocoa layers studded with chopped nuts. The cake is finished with a traditional boiled frosting made from a sugar syrup and beaten egg whites. It yields 6 to 8 servings and takes about 50 minutes to prepare and bake. The result is a beautifully layered dessert with a deep, chocolatey flavour and a light, fluffy icing.

1870 Mahogany Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose white flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in one Tablespoon hot water
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 egg whites
  • 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Method

  1. Set your oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch layer pans and line the bases with wax or parchment paper, then grease the paper.
  2. For the cake batter, warm 1/2 cup of the milk with the cocoa powder in a small saucepan, stirring until it thickens. Allow this to cool.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar together thoroughly. Incorporate the egg yolks one by one, beating well after each addition. Mix in the cooled cocoa mixture.
  4. Add the vanilla, flour, the rest of the milk, the dissolved baking soda and the nuts. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them into the batter. Divide the mixture between the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool the layers on a wire rack.
  5. To make the frosting, combine the sugar and boiling water in a saucepan. Heat while stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved, stop stirring and boil the syrup until it reaches 238°F on a candy thermometer, the soft ball stage.
  6. Beat the egg whites with the salt. While continuing to beat, pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites in a steady stream. Add the corn syrup and cream of tartar, then beat in the vanilla. Keep beating until the frosting is thick enough to spread. Use it to fill and cover the cooled cake layers.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium526100 mg

Recipe details

CategoryDessert
AuthorOlha7397