Hippolyte Cake

Our friend and neighbor Sidney McAlister accepted our invitation to celebrate his birthday over dinner the other night. He and Elizabeth are renovating and the dust has yet to settle over there, so they were extra eager to accept.

When I asked Sidney what kind of birthday cake he would like me to make he said, “Hippolyte cake. Like my mother makes.”  The quick Elizabeth sensed puzzlement. “I’ll get you the recipe.” Great, because I hadn’t a clue what they were talking about.  

Hippolyte is a long-gone brand of marshmallow creme, but a quick look at the ingredients in this cake and it could just as easily have been created to honor Hippolyta, of Greek mythology, the Amazonian goddess with the magic girdle. You Shakespeare fans know that Hippolyta also makes an appearance in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but let’s stick with the marshmallow brand for present purposes.

Turns out that Hippolyte Cake and Mississippi Mud Cake have much in common. Sidney’s mother’s cake recipe is similar to the old-fashioned Texas Sheet Cake that uses the boiling water method. It an extra-moist, fantastic chocolate cake. She piles it up with a thick layer of marshmallow creme topped with chocolate icing. The icing verges on fudge candy and hardens nicely over the marshmallow layer below.

Experienced cooks can use the softball method for testing the boiling syrup, but I much prefer the no-anxiety method of a candy thermometer. The other trick is to beat the tar out of the icing as it cools to prevent it from crystallizing. This is a wonderful family recipe that I’m glad to have and share. Funny that “Hippolyte” is one thing that The Google hasn’t done much homework on. 

Hippolyte’s close cousin, the Mississippi Mud Cake, is all over the web. The cake in these recipes is often more like a dense brownie, and the frosting is easy to make by just stirring up the ingredients. Some prefer to use mini-marshmallows rather than marshmallow creme.

Both cakes will certainly provide a generous sugar buzz. Sidney approved heartily and enjoyed his birthday cake. I used a small jar of marshmallow creme this time so when you give this a try be sure to use a big jar of marshmallow fluff, or two of marshmallow creme, for an extra-thick layer of marshmallow.

Hippolyte Cake

minmerrell Hippolyte Cake and Mississippi Mud Cake are close cousins. Desserts Hippolyte Cake European Print This

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• (Passed along from my friend Elizabeth, her mother-in-law Mrs. Sidney McAlister, and many of her friends prior to that.)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 4 ounces (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 jars (7 ounces each) marshmallow creme or 1 large jar (16 ounces) marshmallow fluff
• Chocolate icing
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 stick (1/2 cup butter)
• 2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Cake:
Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 9 x 13-inch baking pan or two 8-inch square baking pans. Combine the boiling water, chocolate, butter, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Allow the chocolate and butter to melt completely. Stir and let cool.
Combine the eggs and buttermilk in a small mixing bowl. Stir together with a fork until smooth.
Sift or stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Add the buttermilk-egg mixture to the chocolate mixture and blend well.
Stir in the flour mixture and the vanilla and beat well with a wooden spoon.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake 35 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched lightly with your finger.
Carefully spread the marshmallow over the warm cake. Allow to cool while you make the icing. Makes 18 servings.

Icing:
Combine the milk, butter, chocolate, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan.
Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches the low end of the soft ball stage (234°F). Remove from the heat and place the pan in a larger bowl of cold water (to help cool the icing more quickly).
Add the vanilla and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon as the mixture begins to cool and thicken.
Quickly pour and carefully spread the icing over the marshmallow layer of the cake.
The icing will continue to harden.