Let Them Eat Cake

I am going to dash off a quick post before I shower, and get ready for company. We will have a house full for the Labor Day weekend. And I still haven't grocery shopped yet! But I wanted to share what I was doing in the kitchen all morning.

Food serves many purposes in our world. Purposes beyond sustenance. Sure. It keeps us alive. But it's much, much more than that. This morning I makes TWO caramel cakes. One for a belated birthday party for Little Sister. And one for a funeral dinner at our church. A cake to celebrate. A cake to console.

And it's okay to bake one every now and then just to enjoy at home. The recipe has been on the blog a time or two. But here is is again, along with about the only cake baking tip I know. I don't consider myself a cake baker. This one, however, has never failed me.

When your cake layers are baked and cooled and ready to frost, put the first layer on your plate or a cake board, like I did today. Then slip strips of waxed paper (parchment would work, too) under that layer all the way around. You want to use strips so that you can pull them out when you're done. So go just far enough under the edges to cover the plate or cake board.

Frost your cake as usual. Whatever drips or smears at the bottom of the cake ends up on the waxed paper. If there is a way to frost a cake neatly so that you don't need the paper, I do not know what it is.

Let the icing set. And when it's ready (this caramel frosting hardens as it sits) very carefully wiggle the paper strips out. I used the tip of a paring knife before I pulled out the paper and ran it around the edge of the cake bottom to cut the excess frosting so that it would separate from the frosting on the cake.

See how nice that looks? All the messy parts are on the paper. If you have anyone around who likes to like the bowl, they might also like the extra frosting on the paper. It's pretty yummy.

Yes, fiddling with those strips of paper takes a few extra minutes. But goodness, it works better than trying to wipe off the extra frosting. Now your cake is ready to serve. Ready to deliver. Ready for public viewing.

I will tell you that at the very end of frosting the cake, I had a little in the pan that I had not used. I put it back on the burner over low heat and with the whisk stirred until it melted a little. I've never done that before but it worked great. I patched up a spot or two that needed "help." My first cake is not a thing of beauty. That will be for the family birthday. Thank goodness, the second one is a little prettier. (But there still will be no doubt that it's "homemade.") It's going to church. If I baked layer cakes more than two times a year, maybe they would all look good. I am confident, though, that both will taste delicious.

Here's one I baked last year, so you can see the inside.

QUICK & EASY CAKE

2 cups self-rising flour 
1-1/2 cups sugar 

1 cup oil

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Beat until well mixed.  This can be baked in layers or 13x9x2 pan. (Greased and floured, of course; or use baking spray.) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and top springs back when lightly touched.

QUICK CARAMEL FROSTING

2/3 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)

1/3 cup milk

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted (that means after you measure it)

In a saucepan over low heat add butter--melt. Add brown sugar--stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk--stir and cook while you bring it to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Slowly add powdered sugar while stirring--keep stirring until thick enough to use as frosting.

(I used a wire whisk to add in the powdered sugar and beat it briskly. Switch to a heavy spoon if it gets too thick to beat.  This frosting hardens, so ice your cake quickly.)