Name: Minnehaha Cake
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups packed (17½ ounces/496 grams) dark brown sugar; 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened; 2/3 cup heavy cream; 1 1/4 cups sliced almonds; 2/3 cup raisins; 3 (8-inch) baked white cake rounds

Why This Recipe Works

Minnehaha cake is named for the fictional princess in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous 1855 poem Song of Hiawatha. By the late 1800s, newspapers and cookbooks across the country were publishing recipes for this popular special-occasion dessert. The cake is traditionally a three-layer affair filled with raisins and almonds and topped with a burnt-sugar frosting. We wanted a confection-like frosting with deep caramel flavor; to ensure a frosting with just the right consistency and flavor, we cooked sugar, butter, and cream until the mixture thickened slightly and used a thermometer to monitor the temperature. Grinding raisins and almonds together made for a fairly sticky filling, but it wasn't sticky enough to hold the cake layers together and it tasted dry. Rather than make a cooked filling in addition to our cooked frosting, we found an easy solution: We mixed a small portion of the frosting with the almonds and raisins in the food processor. This step helped bind the coarsely ground ingredients and brought the filling together. Once frosted, we gave our cake an elegant border of sliced almonds around the bottom perimeter, for a cake fit for a princess.

Before You Begin

We like to use our White Layer Cake for this recipe, but you can use your own.

Instructions

For the frosting: Combine sugar, 10 tablespoons butter, and cream in saucepan set over medium heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly thickened and registers 240 degrees on candy thermometer. Carefully transfer to bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until cooled to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Beat in remaining butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until well incorporated.

For the filling: Pulse 3/4 cup almonds, raisins, and 1 cup frosting in food processor until coarsely ground.

To assemble: Spread half of filling on bottom cake layer. Top with second cake layer and remaining filling. Top with final cake layer and frost top and sides with plain frosting. Decorate with remaining almonds.