Any ideas for this cake/frosting recipe?

[HerMajesty]

When I was little, my mom used to make a very mild spice cake. It was light, rather like the sponge type of cakes here in the UK. It was a light tan color..........no raisins or nuts. She put a very light tan home made frosting on it.... It would have had powdered confectioner's sugar, butter, and..............what? Maple? Peanut? Burnt sugar?

I know you don't know what it was for sure, but if you have any workable ideas, do let me know!

And do you have some recipe from your childhood (or later) that you are searching for?

OH wants to recreate Welsh Rarebit like his mother used to make........................................

[cheaver]

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Treacle icing? Yum!


.....

Traditional rarebit (with ale for me).... yum!

[Maelbrigda]

My mum used to add the tiniest hint of coffee powder to her icing to make it dark cream/tan. Not too much as it will flavour it, just enough to add colour

[billsstamps]

My grandmother used Camp Coffee, a liquid chicory mixture to colour toppings. I still see it in the cake decoration aisles of supermarkets.

[yellerbelly]

When I was little, my mom used to make a very mild spice cake. It was light, rather like the sponge type of cakes here in the UK. It was a light tan color..........no raisins or nuts. She put a very light tan home made frosting on it.... It would have had powdered confectioner's sugar, butter, and..............what? Maple? Peanut? Burnt sugar?

I know you don't know what it was for sure, but if you have any workable ideas, do let me know!

And do you have some recipe from your childhood (or later) that you are searching for?

OH wants to recreate Welsh Rarebit like his mother used to make........................................

The cake you describe sounds like a ginger cake/ginger parkin. For the icing I add a little 'Camp', coffee being liquid it is easy to mix in and sweet so no bitter taste.

[HerMajesty]

Those are all super ideas! Thanks!

Love the treacle frosting idea....I think molasses is like treacle.

And I haven't tried adding butter to the Welsh Rarebit, figuring the cheese had enough fat. So that might be the missing ingredient in mine!

A dash of coffee in the frosting...........hum. Maybe that was it! My mom drank lots of coffee!!

And chicory - used to drink it, but seem to have developed an allergy to it.......and my mom never used it, as far as I know. Thanks for the ideas, tho!

[dardonboi]

I have my Mother-In-Laws very very old Searchlight cook book and it has 2 recipes that might be what you are looking for.

Coffee Butter Icing
1/3 Cup butter
2 Tbs. Lemon juice
3 Cups Powd. sugar
2 Tbs cold coffee

Burnt Sugar Icing
2 Cups Sugar
2 Tbs butter
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup boiling water
1/8 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Vanilla

Caramelize 1/2 cup sugar--Add boiling water and stir until dissolved. Add butter, milk, salt and the rest of the sugar and boil to soft ball stage.Cool to room temperature. Add vanilla and beat until creamy and frost the cake.

[HerMajesty]

thanks, dardonboi.....that burnt sugar one will be the one I try first!