OCTOBER 2019 | taste of the south 74
While granulated sugar was the prized
product, cane syrup was the by-product of
the refi ning process that sugarcane growerslearned to make and use themeselves.
Pumpkin-
Sugarcane Cake
MAKES 1 (13X9-INCH) CAKE
This spiced cake celebrates sugarcane
in two forms—granulated and syrup.
A fl uff y layer of slightly tart but sweet
frosting is a pleasant companion to
the drizzle of cane syrup.
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
2 cups fine cane sugar
1½ cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Buttermilk Frosting (recipe follows)
Cane syrup, to serve
- Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray a
13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. - In a large bowl, whisk together flour,
baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
In another large bowl, whisk together
pumpkin, cane sugar, oil, eggs, and
vanilla. Make a well in center of flour
mixture; add pumpkin mixture, stirring
just until combined. Pour batter into
prepared dish, smoothing top. - Bake until a wooden pick inserted
in center comes out clean, about
40 minutes. Let cool completely on
a wire rack. Spread Buttermilk Frosting
on top of cooled cake. Drizzle with cane
syrup just before serving, if desired.
Buttermilk Frosting
MAKES 3 CUPS
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon whole buttermilk
- In a large bowl, beat butter, cream
cheese, and vanilla with a mixer at
medium speed until creamy, about
1 minute. Add confectioners’ sugar,
beating until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in buttermilk until combined.
Use immediately.
About 500 years later, the Portuguese brought the fl ourishing crop to the New
World where it became a major commodity in what is now South America and the
Caribbean thanks to the warm, tropical climate. By the early to mid-1700s, sugarcane
had become wildly popular, with the British and French colonies in the West Indies
producing 80 percent of the world’s sugar supply. It wasn’t until 1751 that money-making
sugarcane arrived in Louisiana, where it thrived in the swampy heat and humidity.
Similar to most cash crops of the era, sugarcane plantations operated on slave
labor. T he t r ia ng u la r t rade , a s ma ny c a l l it today, wa s a t h ree-fold system t hat i nvolved
forcibly transporting African slaves to the New World to work on plantations, sending
the fruits of their labor to Europe to be sold, then using that money to buy more African
slaves who would soon be sent back across the Atlantic—a torturous journey known
as the Middle Passage. Both the cane farming and the sugar milling conditions were
dangerous for these slaves. From the beginning of the trade to the abolishment of
slavery in the British Caribbean colonies in 1838, only about 400,000 of the more than
4 million slaves survived the working conditions and disease. As sugar production grew
throughout the world, its value lessened, transforming it from a luxury into a pantry
staple that almost anyone could aff ord.
Today, sugarcane is the world’s largest cultivated crop, with well over a billion tons
being produced each year. Yet in the United States, sugarcane agriculture has declined.
Once a major commodity in areas around the country, it is now primarily confi ned to
Florida, Louisiana, and the southern part of Texas. Consequently, the production and
common use of cane syrup has also fallen to the wayside.