White Mountain Cake with Boiled Icing

As part of our Forgotten Recipes of the Smokies, this cake is known as one of the first true layer cakes, eventually becoming known as a traditional Birthday Cake.

This recipe was included in a cookbook by Malinda Russell, the first African-American to write and publish a cookbook in America.

Yield: 8-10

Author: Malinda Russell - Forgotten Recipes - Jimmy Proffitt

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White Mountain Cake

Ingredients

White Mountain Cake - as written in the original cookbook by Malinda Russell

• One cup white sugar
• Two eggs
• One-half cup butter
• One-half cup sweet milk
• One-half teaspoonful soda
• One teaspoonful cream of tartar
• Two and one-half cups flour
• Note - As with many of the old recipes we've researched, directions were not included. Most of the early recipes and cookbooks were not intended for the home cook, but rather for the experienced cook who would have known what to do. Below is the recipe as we interpreted it.

White Mountain Cake as interpreted by The Old Mill

• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• ½ cup butter, room temperature
• 2 large whole eggs
• ½ cup whole milk
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 ½ cups Miller's Choice Plain Unbleached Flour

Boiled Icing - as written in original cookbook by Malinda Russell

• Beat the whites of four eggs to a stiff froth; boil 1 pound of crushed sugar until it ropes off and spins off in threads; then turn the boiling sugar slowly over the eggs, stirring thoroughly and beating; flavor with lemon, peach, or vanilla.

Boiled Icing - as interpreted by The Old Mill

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of white granulated sugar
• 1/3rd cup of water
• 4 egg whites
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 2-3 tablespoons), use lemon zest to garnish

Instructions

Cake Directions as tested by The Old Mill

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Prepare 3 8-inch round cake pans by greasing and flouring or spray with baking spray and line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. If using a hand or stand mixer, let it cream on high for 3-4 minutes. If creaming by hand, push the butter in to the sugar with the back of a wooden spoon or paddle until the butter and sugar are well combined and then beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each well. Add the milk and beat until well incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture a little at a time until the flour is all mixed in, then beat for 2-3 minutes with a mixer or 150 strokes with a wooden spoon by hand.
4. Divide the batter equally between the 3 cake pans. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool on a baking rack for 10-12 minutes in the pan. Then remove from the pan and let them cool completely on the baking rack.
5. Once completely cooled, ice with Boiled Icing. Store in a cake dome or saver in a cool, dry place.

Icing Directions as tested by The Old Mill

1. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Do not stir as it boils. Test if it is ready by dipping a knife or fork into the mixture as it boils and when the drip is slow and spins off into a thread, it is ready.
2. Whip in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, 4 egg whites until fluffy and firm. When the sugar syrup is ready, slowly stream the hot syrup down the inside of the bowl while continuing to whip the egg whites. The egg whites will begin to fluff up even more as you incorporate the hot syrup. Once all the syrup is incorporated, add the juice of 1 lemon and whip until it is thoroughly mixed in. The icing will be very fluffy, shiny, and smooth.
3. Beginning with the 1st layer, ice the top, adding each layer and icing until all 3 layers are stacked. Begin icing the sides, from the top layer on down, with swirling strokes to get the icing all the way to bottom. The outside of the cake should be iced with a thick layer of the icing with no visible areas showing the cake layers. This icing recipe makes enough icing for 1 3-layer cake.

Notes

We tested this cake multiple times to determine the oven temperature and baking time. Depending on your oven, keep a close eye on it for doneness, as over-baking will dry the cake out quickly.

We also tested the cake recipe using buttermilk in place of the sweet milk for one version, which helped keep it more tender, but the regular milk works fine.