Louisiana Culture: Heavenly Hash Cake
78Heavenly Hash "Cake"
A Southern staple for sweet tooths - or a dentist's delight!
Louisiana is truly the Land of Seafood and Sweets (my term), so much so we are now the fattest state in America, a dubious honor for sure. My husband and I move away from Louisiana from time to time just to shake those extra pounds that are so easy to gain in this culture of eating and cooking and eating again! Because of the heat and humidity Louisiana is often an indoor culture except for the hardiest souls who hunt, fish, boat and water ski when the weather is accommodating.
New Orleans has to be the worst part of the state when it comes to a love affair with sugar - though folks in Alabama and Mississippi are Siamese sugar twins. The New Orleans culture revolves around sugar so much they would experience withdrawal symptoms if, Heaven forbid, sugar became a rarity. Trust me; they would cultivate something else like beets - or even worms if they thought it would work - for their sugar as these folks would simply not do without their sweet vice!
Heavenly hash “cake” is quite popular with home cooks. It is basically a marshmallow cake mixed with nuts and some chocolate and then bathed again in a chocolate glaze to seal the marshmallow. If you love marshmallows you will love this “cake.” About the only thing healthy about this cake is that marshmallows are made from egg whites, and, OK, lots of sugar.
While it’s far too sweet for me with my preference for European style less sweet products, in its defense I can say this “cake” is long on presentation when placed in a Bundt pan and given a lovely shape. It is also quite popular throughout the South.
In the Bundt pan version when the marshmallows were added they sunk in and mixed to create this marbling effect of chocolate, nuts and marshmallow as they stirred it. Once it was cool enough to hold its shape they must have turned it out and then given its chocolate glaze.
I’ve received this Bundt version as a Christmas gift all wrapped up in pretty cellophane with a lovely bow and then boxed in a large round tin. It was a wonderfully showy presentation. You can now purchase these mostly marshmallow “cakes” to gift others in the New Orleans area.
This version is done simply in a 9x13-inch pan.
Heavenly Hash Cake
From: James “B” Didier
Ingredients:
4 eggs, beaten lightly
2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter
1 ½ cups self-rising flour
2 cups pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons cocoa
Directions: Combine eggs, sugar, butter, flour, pecans, vanilla and cocoa in large mixing bowl. Mix well.
Pour into ungreased (9x13-inch) pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Icing glaze:
1 bag miniature marshmallows
4 teaspoons cocoa
1 stick butter, melted
1 pound box powdered sugar
8 teaspoons evaporated milk
Directions: Place marshmallows on top of baked cake. Heat in oven until marshmallows are melted.
Mix cocoa, butter, powdered sugar and milk and heat until spreading consistency. Spread over marshmallows. Cut into squares to serve.
***
For fun food blogs by Denny Lyon, please visit for every Tuesday and Friday new recipes appear:
Comfort Food From Louisiana - Land of Seafood and Sweets - varied recipes, articles, videos, photos and just plain fun about the French culture and many other countries as immigrants who have contributed to our wonderful food!
Romancing The Chocolate - easy chocolate recipes, articles and chocolate photos in a light-hearted manner!
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Hi, DebbieL, maybe I should slap a "hunger warning" on this recipe...? :)
Thanks for stopping by!
I put on 8 pounds just looking at the photo and trying to figure out what was in Heavenly Hash Cake. Y'all know how to eat down there!
Shesh, same as Bruce here! That's a scrumptious photo! Denny, yes, you need a warning of some sort at the top of the hub! Laugh!
Hi, Bruce and Elena, thanks for stopping by for a Saturday morning visit! You made me grin.
As to the photo I really love to promote the flickr photographers from the Creative Commons area - they are so generous to provide photos! You can put in the most outrageous search and find photos - like "inside fridge" was a search for a recent hub and found the jar of Grandma - either her food or Grandma's ashes, hmmm... - on the Tips for Saving on Groceries hub. These guys have a great sense of humor on flickr.
Yep, we are rather shameless down in Louisiana! Have some great photos of New Orleans French quarter, jazz musicians, architecture and wildlife on the above louisiana blog you might enjoy - fewer calories! :)
This isn't helping my diet!
Laugh! Denny, I stopped by to see your response and saw oevery's comment! I'm cracking up here! This hub ought to be tagged "Dangerous" or something! Ay ay ay! :-)
Oh my goodness! This looks so scrumptious! Like everyone else, I feel like I've gained 10 pounds just looking and thinking about it. :D Lots of butter, lots of sugar, chocolate...what's not to love? It's bound to be good.
Thanks for sharing Denny! :)
WOW!! This looks like a yummy cake recipe. I have to watch out for my weight if I do end up consuming all these "sinful" goodies ;)
Hi, eovery! Remember: it's low calorie to read and low calorie to dream! :)
Hi, Pam, thanks for stopping by to salivate! :)
Hi, countrywomen, cake with more sugar than cake, wild, isn't it?! Leave it to the sugar beasts of the American South to dream up this calorie buster! :)
heck with it...I'm gonna make it...and i will let everyone know and not share...that way I can gain the 10 lbs. and just tell you all how delicious it was..yummmm...gotta run to the store byeee...Nice hub and Thanks...G-Ma :o) hugs & Peace
I have 20 pounds to lose and the Christmas, Sees candies have turned into Valentines Day chocolates! I'm in BIG and I mean, BIG trouble here with the chocolate thing!
It does look Soooooo Goooood, however!!!
Madison
Hi, G-Ma, you are always such fun! Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have plenty of grandchildren or hungry neighbors to help you eat this! :)
Wow Denny this looks good and I'm sure even tastes better. both my parents were from New Orleans, but my mom made sweets like pralines and such, but never this cake. How long has this recipe been around? My parents were born in the early 1900's.
My husband would love this one.
Hi, laringo, this is for serious sugarholics! Good question as to how long it's been around - it has made it's way around the South, who knows who originated it? At least for the past decade to achieve this kind of popularity and spread in the region.
Pralines are the original sweet of New Orleans that goes back to the 1800's like rice cakes (calas) and beignets. This crazy cake is much newer! I've only paid attention to it for the past decade; it might be a bit older. My guess is its from the 1990's as Bundt cake recipes and candies were big back then in the early years.
Hi, moonlake, thanks for stopping by for a visit! If you like other recipes check out my blog about Louisiana comfort food. It's still new but I decided to start parking all my printed recipes that were favorites there. Why? Seems like I'm feeling another move out of Louisiana. It's odd how when you move away from an area you can't always remember the cooking as easily as you thought you could, so, here it is written down as your recipe box and mine!
http://ComfortFoodFromLouisiana.blogspot.com
Have a chocolate recipe box blog too:
http://RomancingTheChocolate.blogspot.com
Sounds good, unless you are watching your waist!
"Hash" did convey a slightly different impression to me, though. I most commonly think of it as another word for cannabis!
Hi, LondonGirl, this is definitely not a recipe for the weight conscious! :)
"Hash" - hashish - oh, well, there are so many slang words floating around it's bound to confuse or confound.
Around here the word Hash is basically about something thrown together in a helter skelter fashion (read that as fast and furious without regard to meticulous detail - for English purists like my English teacher favorite Aunt.
Hash was a word used in the old American West too, usually it was some kind of beef, later corned beef, mixed with potatoes and pan fried. We know it today, even the canned version, as corned beef and hash. Maybe it originated from our Irish immigrants as they moved West?
It is rather amusing how the English speaking countries can't understand each other very well. Maybe living on different continents isolated us all to developing just our version of the language: Australia, UK and America! I have great sympathy for anyone from another language trying to learn English as it must be deviling and confusing!
I'd not come across "hash" in that sense - as well as cannabis, the other use is to make a mess of something - "you made a right hash of that washing up", for example.
DebbieL says:
10 months ago
great - I'm hungry now :)