Old Fashioned Buttermilk Icing

Let's get this straight! If you're from West (Almost Heaven) Virginia, the verb for putting a creamy, sugary substance on the outside of a cake is called, "frosting", but the delectable goo itself is called, "icing". So many folks, including Betty Crocker and Pillsbury, get this wrong. It says, "frosting" on the sides of those little plastic cans of preservative-infused sweet coating. Well, where ever you were reared and what ever you like to call it, cake just isn't as delicious without the swirls of creamy spread on the outside. I think most of us agree on this point! That's why children who are tempted by mama's cake sitting on the table, swipe their fingers through the icing instead of trying to pull a hunk of cake from the middle. Over the years, I've been "homeroom mom" enough to know that little ones also lick it off the top of their cookies and cupcakes and throw the crumbly baked goods in the trash. Icing is important stuff!
Today I want to post a recipe for a pure and simple buttermilk icing that takes your cake-eating experience to another level. While we enjoy a chocolate-buttermilk icing on my mother-in-law's Johnny Hoosier Cake (see my archives), this plain version is a nice change and is especially good on pound cake. This is the same kind of icing that the Amish in Ohio use to top cookies and pumpkin bread; I've bought it at roadside stands there.

Buttermilk Icing
1 C sugar
1/2 C buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4-1/2 C butter
1 TBSP white Karo syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla

Boil to soft ball stage on a candy thermometer (like you would for fudge) and pour over cake immediately.
Note: This came from an elderly person's personal kitchen file that I bought at an estate sale in Ohio.

******Happy Birthday Ben!!! 18 this week!!!!******

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Mary Lane's Book of Baking-1936

My cookbook review today is short and sweet, just like the cute little book I'm reviewing from the 1930's. It's Mary Lane's Book of Baking from 1936, and I was lucky enough to find it in a Texas antique mall. Its copyright is under the Better Baking Institute of Sherman, Texas. This is an American product; written, printed and bound in Texas (Scruggs Printing Co. of Sherman, and The Universal Bookbindery, Inc. of San Antonio). This small green hardcover book was a promotional piece put out by Fant Milling Company in Sherman, Texas. They produced Gladiola Flour. The Better Baking Institute was the test kitchens of Fant Mills. Mary Lane was the home economist hired to be the head of the test kitchens, and the company's spokesperson on a radio show each week called, "the Kitchen Club". On this once-a-week show, Mary gave baking tips, recipes and answered questions that had been sent to her. An early-day "Martha Stewart"! (or Betty Crocker- don't know if she was real or just a mythical homemaker created by an advertising department). At any rate, this is a wonderful piece of advertising and baking history. The recipes in the book are classics in American baking. Its pages have handy index tabs and the sections sound like a primer for a Home Ec class. The selections include: Quick Breads, Yeast Breads, Butter Cakes, Sponge Cakes, Cookies and Pies and Pastries. Good luck hunting for this little cutie! Here's a caramel frosting recipe from its pages.

Caramel Frosting

1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1 1/2 C milk
2 TBSP butter

Mix the sugars and milk together, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. There cook without stirring until a very small amount of the mixture forms a very soft ball in cold water. Add the butter. Let cool until lukewarm, then beat until thick and creamy, and of the right consistency to spread. The frosting may be placed over hot water to keep soft while spreading.

***Personal note: Here I go with a little "Mom-bragging"...last night I had the pleasure of eating dinner with my son, Justin. I'm so proud of his emerging cooking skills! He had fixed Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, Potato Casserole, Baked Steak, French Green Beans and Lemon Cake for dessert. Thanks for a delicious meal, Justin!***

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