1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
3 cups self-rising flour
1 quart buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper if desired. Beat butter till light and fluffy, then add sugar and beat for 5 minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each. Alternately add flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract thoroughly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the mixture is set.
Remove from pans and place on cooling racks to cool completely. While the cakes are cooling, make the Southern Caramel Icing and frost the cake.
Caramel in the South Frosting
2 c. sugar
1 quart buttermilk
12 c. Crisco
12 cup melted butter
1 tsp. baking soda
In a 3-4 quart cast iron dutch oven, combine all of the ingredients.
Swirl the pan to keep the ingredients moving. Cook until a candy thermometer reads 235o – 245o or when tested in a cup of cold water. Remove from the heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is creamy and ready to spread.
Is there no thermometer? Perform the cold water test:
Drop some of the caramel into a dish or cup of cold water. Allow it to cool for a few seconds. Try to retrieve the caramel and build a small ball with it by fishing about in the bowl or cup of cold water.
If you stick your fingers into the bowl and pull out a gooey mess where you can’t do anything but spread the caramel, the caramel needs to be boiled again. Your caramel still has too much water in it, and the sugar concentration is too low. The caramel may even form little threads in the water, but if the threads do not form into a ball, you will need to continue cooking.
