If you're looking to rediscover some nostalgic cakes you forgot existed, consider the mahogany cake. A staple dessert from the 1800s, it's since faded from popularity. However, you probably know something similar, as it has a lot in common with a red velvet cake (and arguably, red velvet is a modern day version of the mahogany cake).
Like red velvet, the mahogany cake is pretty self-descriptive. The sweet has a red-tinged brown color that resembles (surprise!) mahogany. These two desserts share a solid amount of DNA, too. Both often use cocoa, buttermilk, and acidic ingredients, but red velvet amps up the color with food dye, while also swapping the old fashioned frosting for cream cheese.
Mahogany cake is considered to be America's first chocolate cake, although its color is not nearly as dark compared to what modern-day chocolate cakes usually look like. The dessert surfaced in the late 1800s, and while there's no precise origin story out there, it seems to have emerged from cooking schools where students were experimenting with chocolate, which was a novel ingredient at the time. Surprisingly, its red color actually came from the cocoa. At the time, cocoa powder was quite acidic and would react with other ingredients in a way that created a red shade. Nowadays, cocoa is typically alkalized, or made neutral, which also makes it less bitter and generally gives it a smoother taste. Non-alkalized cocoa (pictured below) is also not so dark, hence the lighter shade of the cake at the time.
What to know about making mahogany cake
While mahogany cake isn't common nowadays, it's not because it's hard to make. If you're a regular baker, most of the ingredients should be in your pantry already. This includes staples like flour, butter, eggs, sugar, cocoa, and vanilla, plus buttermilk and a little vinegar. Some recipes call for coffee instead, but it seems the more traditional ones don't use it. Before you go out to buy anything you don't already have, here are a few pointers.
Firstly, mahogany cake is, like its modern-day granddaughter, a "velvet" cake, meaning it has a fine crumb and soft texture. To get that crumb, you'll want to use cake flour, which is finely ground. For casual bakers wondering whether cake flour is really any better, realistically, this recipe should work okay with all-purpose. Secondly, for a historically accurate mahogany cake, you'll want to use non-alkalized cocoa. Look for cocoa marked natural as opposed to Dutch. Finally, remember this cake is made with an older style of icing called "ermine" frosting. This is basically a thick frosting made from boiled milk, flour, and sugar. While simple to make, it needs a half-hour or so to chill, so make sure to leave enough time to make a batch. Follow these steps, and you should end up with a mahogany cake straight out of the 19th century with a gentle cocoa taste and creamy frosting to match.
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Read the original article on Chowhound.