The Sweet Magnolias Cookbook (40 page)

ICING

1¼ cups milk

6 tablespoons flour

1½ cups granulated sugar

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour two 9" round cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together sugar, shortening and vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time.

Make a paste by stirring together cocoa and food coloring. Add to the creamed mixture.

Sift together flour and salt. Add alternately with buttermilk to batter, beginning and ending with flour.

Combine vinegar and baking soda. Stir into batter.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Firmly rap cake pans on countertop to level batter.

Bake 30–35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Prepare frosting.

Cool in pans 10 minutes on rack. Remove from pans. Cool thoroughly.

Split cake layers in half horizontally, making 4 layers total.

Whisk together milk and flour. Pour through a wire mesh strainer (to remove any lumps) into a medium saucepan. Add sugar to the saucepan.

Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to boil. Continue to stir and cook for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. Place in refrigerator about one hour, stirring mixture several times during the cooling period. (Cool mixture to approximately 70°F.)

Using an electric mixer, blend the cooled flour/milk/sugar mixture with the room temperature butter. Add vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl several times while beating.