Gateau Sirop

Cajun French:  le sirop (lu see-rō) – syrup

 

An Old LA Recipe

Both of our grandmothers were Cajun and from the same small community of Brusly, LA. Due to that, there are many foods which were cooked in a similar way. Also, there are lots of foods which are considered Cajun, or which are cooked the Cajun way, which survive today. There are a very few, however, which are unique because the common ingredients are so ubiquitous to LA – and Gateau Sirop is one.

Laurie Finding a Lost Treasure

There are recipes that bring back memories of Grandma’s kitchen smelling of warm cake and love. Gateau Sirop is the recipe that brings back wonderful memories of my Maw Maw’s kitchen and all the love she poured out. What makes this recipe so special is that it was lost for almost 12 years. In fact all of my Maw Maw’s recipes were lost. In cleaning out my grandparents dry cleaners, we found her box of recipes. It was a joyous moment! My grandmother was of Acadian decent and the Cajun language is not a written language so there were not many recipes written down. To find that box of recipes was a true treasure she gave to me and my sisters.

GATEAU SIROP

Rema Hebert Peavy Guerin

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup Steen’s pure cane syrup
1 ½ cup white sugar
1 scant cup salad oil
pinch salt
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 cup boiling water

Grease and flour 9×13 pan generously. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except soda and water, mixing well. Dissolve soda in boiling water and add to mixture blending well. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Icing

1 cup confectioner’s sugar
½ stick butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cream

Soften butter and combine with other ingredients. Beat well and spread over warm cake.

The above is the original recipe. Another brand of syrup may be used as long as it is Pure Cane Syrup.

The cake may also be made in muffin tins and served individually with a topping of your choice. Peaches were in season the last time we made the cake.
Peel and slice four peaches and cook in 1 tablespoon of butter.
Slice off the cap of the muffin.
Place bottom of muffin on plate, spoon warm peaches on top, place muffin cap leaning on side.
Top with whipped cream or powdered sugar.

The cake is best served when warm!

Enjoy!!!