Maple Cake by Martha Stewart: The Perfect Holiday Dessert

“The incomparable flavor of pure maple syrup is reason enough to make this sweet treat; that it is also quick to prepare is an added bonus,” writes Martha Stewart. Maple cake is a rich, decadent cake coated in cream cheese frosting and garnished with crunchy pecans, and it makes the perfect quick holiday dessert. We took Martha’s recipe and adapted it to use Juthour’s quality ingredients, especially The Great Northern’s Grade A farm-to-family maple syrup!

Ingredients: for the cake

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• ¾ cup The Great Northern’s Pure Maple Syrup
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup sour cream or Greek yoghurt

Ingredients: for the icing

• 1/3 cup The Great Northern pure maple syrup, plus more if needed
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar, plus more if needed

Directions:

1. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan; line with parchment, and butter parchment. Dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
   
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, maple syrup, and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; mix in vanilla.
3. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of sour cream; beat until just combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack to cool completely.
4. Make the icing: Combine maple syrup and butter in a bowl. Sift in confectioners’ sugar and whisk until combined. Adjust consistency with more syrup or sugar, if necessary. Spread maple icing over top of cake. Let set, at least 15 minutes, before serving.