Ah Oh Watch Out! There’s a New Cake in Town

Okay I hate to say this, but there’s a new cake in town.  I mean no disrespect to Aunt Lucy Cake and I do not aim to even try to take anything away from it, as it is still my favorite pound cake, but I have been working on a buttermilk layer cake for ages now and have finally mastered the recipe.  At long last I have created a cake that brings back memories of a bygone era and one bite will make you think it was baked by your grandmother.

Without any further ado, I give you…

Don’s Buttermilk Layer Cake with Caramel Frosting!

Ingredients:

2 sticks of softened butter

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon each of baking soda & baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups buttermilk

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time.  In a medium mixing bowl sift the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.  At this point I also add the vanilla to my buttermilk.  Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk/vanilla, starting and ending with flour. Beat until well mixed.  Pour into three well buttered 9” round pans (I also line them with parchment.  It just makes baking so much eaiser.) and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes and remove from pans to wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

A pinch of salt

6 tablespoons milk

3 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (may need to add if frosting is too thin)

1 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions:

Melt butter in a saucepan (Don NOT brown… just melt), stir in the brown sugar and the salt. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the milk, stirring all the while.

Return to heat and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and allow to cool until lukewarm (approximately a half an hour). Stir in the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth enough to spread. You might need to add a few drops of milk if frosting gets too stiff as is sets up quickly.  Use to fill between layers and frost cake.  Press the chopped walnut around the side of the cake if desired.

I am just wild over this cake.  I love the old time flavor.  I am sure that you could use any frosting that you want (only please NOT from a can) but I implore you to first give it a try this way.  The walnuts are TOTALLY optinal and I like the cake just as much without them.  It is purely for a fancier presentation that I use them.

Aunt Lucy will alway be the cake most near and dear to my heart, but sometimes a guy’s just gotta have a hunk of layer cake and a glass of cold milk!  I am sure she would approve.

Until next time,

Don