Lauren Anderson’s journey from Chicago to Nashville, transitioning from a music therapist to a full-time musician, is quite inspiring. Her background in opera and music therapy brings a unique depth and sensitivity to her blues, rock, and Americana styles. Her music is the perfect compliment to my sweet-tooth moment while enjoying a slice of mahogany cake soaked in whiskey. The rich, deep flavors of the cake paired with her soulful music create a wonderfully immersive experience.

Drawing inspiration from iconic figures like Janis Joplin and Grace Potter sets a high bar for Lauren Anderson’s music. These artists are known for their powerful, emotionally resonant styles, which perfectly align with Anderson’s approach to songwriting and performance. Her focus on personal experiences adds a layer of authenticity and relatability to her music, helping to forge a deep connection with her audience. Lauren’s focus on creating dynamic music and aiming to create an emotional experience resonates with music therapy, where the goal is to use music to engage emotions and promote healing. Her background in music therapy gives Anderson a unique edge in understanding how to craft songs that not only entertain but also touch the hearts of her listeners.

So what’s next for Lauren Anderson? The success of her third album, “Burn It All Down,” reaching number 12 on the Billboard Blues charts, is a testament to her talent and the resonance of her music with audiences. As she continues to release more singles across various genres throughout 2024, it’s clear that her fans have a lot to look forward to. Staying true to her versatility and creativity as an artist, she’s focusing on collaborating with other musicians, like Tracee Perrin, to co-write an Americana song and then also recording a bluesy single in Muscle Shoals. She plans to keep touring and releasing music while also dedicating time to songwriting and music therapy for continued success through a growing and dedicated fan base.

More Lauren Anderson Music Here!

When it comes to food, Lauren appreciates both the comfort of nostalgic foods as well as exploring new flavors. Her love for Chicago’s iconic deep-dish pizza reflects her roots and the comfort found in foods from back home. She also loves bold, earthy flavors with all things beets, especially in a salad paired with goat cheese. Lauren has even started dabbling in a little bit of gardening and trying to grow her beets revealing a deeper connection with the food she enjoys. And for sweets, she is quite fond of the classic mahogany cake, America’s original chocolate cake with rich and distinct flavors. Whiskey is her favorite drink that matches her bluesy, soulful style that is rich, deep, and complex. And for her release, Love On The Rocks, Lauren was sponsored by Guidance Whiskey, a local, Nashville Black-owned whiskey company that specializes in small-batch whiskey with a smooth intense finish.

For this recipe artist feature, I went with the classic mahogany cake but wanted to give a nod to Lauren’s love of whiskey by soaking the cake. Guidance Whiskey is my recommendation for the whiskey of choice in the recipe with its Maraschino cherry and vanilla essence base that compliments this cake perfectly. I also added a Sur La Table Amarena Fabri Cherries frosting on top of the cake to kick it up another notch. The rich, soulful sounds of Lauren’s music combined with the indulgent flavors of a whiskey-soaked mahogany cake and cherries, complement each other perfectly to enhance both experiences.

Whiskey Soaked Mahogany Cake

Ingredients for Mahogany Cake

2 cups flour
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature and softened
1 ½ cup dark brown sugar
3 eggs
¼ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 cup strong black coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 cup whiskey of choice (I would suggest Guidance Whiskey )
Fabbri Amarena Wild Cherries in Syrup, 21 Ounce

Ingredients for Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for Cherry Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/4 cup of the syrup from the Fabbri Amarena Wild Cherries
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions for Mahogany Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and line two 8-inch circular pans.
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder.
Cream butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs 1 by 1 to the mix and beat in.
Beat in the vanilla and fold in a third of the flour mix. Add ½ cup of coffee and repeat this process one more time. Mix in the vinegar and fold the remaining flour.
Divide the batter equally into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes and when a toothpick is inserted in the center will come out clean.
Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a rack to completely cool until time to soak with whiskey and frost.
After about an hour, pour half cup of whiskey onto each layer to fully soak.

Directions for Chocolate Buttercream

For the buttercream frosting, use a stand or hand-held mixer with a whisk attachment and beat the softened butter on high speed for about 3 minutes.
Add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt.
Beat on low speed until sugar is mixed in and then increase to medium/high speed about for 3 minutes or everything is well blended.
Chop about 10 of the candied cherries and set aside to use in between your cake layers as you’re frosting.
Frost in between and on the sides of your cakes with the chocolate buttercream leaving the top of the cake to be topped with the cherry frosting. Add the chopped cherries in between your cake layers.

Directions for Cherry Frosting

Add the butter and cherry syrup to a mixing bowl. Mix the butter and the cherry syrup on medium speed for about 2 minutes and well combined.
Add the confectioners’ sugar to the mixing bowl.
Mix on the lowest setting until butter and sugar are well combined and the frosting becomes fluffy (about 1 minute).
Add the cornstarch to the frosting and mix until combined.
Frost the top of your cake and decorate with extra cherries as you like. I added a broken chocolate bark decoration around the cake as a nod to Lauren’s song, Love on the Rocks. Enjoy!