This caramel icing recipe is a favorite among Granny MARY JANE CRABTREE’S (Wynne, Arkansas) grandchildren. And, remembers granddaughter ANGIE CRABTREE REYNOLDS (Nashville, Tennessee), there was always a cake on her Granny’s kitchen counter. Even though Granny used a store-bought angel food cake, it is the icing that brings back fond memories for all of us. Angie shares, “As I looked through our family cookbook to submit this recipe, I noticed a lot of the recipes included Pet milk. I asked my dad about this. He said it’s because they only had an icebox, and space inside would be at a premium, so they used a lot of canned evaporated milk. It is the evaporated milk that really makes this different from any other caramel icing. It gives it a distinct flavor.”
3 cups sugar
1 ¼ cups evaporated milk
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1 (10 inch) prepared angel food cake
1 In a heavy saucepan bring the sugar, milk, and butter to a boil. Boil 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and pecans, if desired. Pour over the angel food cake and let sit until the icing sets.
MAKES ENOUGH TO ICE ONE 10-INCH CAKE.