Carmel Cake or, Caramel Cake - Carmel is the original spelling.

This is a Legacy left to us by: Lizzie Fink Hostetter nee Long, from South Annville, PA. Born: 1881

Original Recipe

2 cups sugar
1 cup sweet milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups flour (Today this would be plain flour)
2 tsp baking powder

This is an example of a basic cake used. There were no instructions in her written recipe. She would have beaten this cake a long time by hand. The instructions listed are what I would use.

Grease and flour (3) 8- or 9-inch cake pans.

Cream sugar and shortening together. (About 2 minutes medium speed electric mixer.)

Add eggs and beat about 2 minutes, medium speed (electric mixer.)

Sift flour and baking powder together in separate bowl.

Fold flour mixture in (about 2 minutes slow speed electric mixer)

Pour into pans and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees, 325 degrees with coated pans

Carmel (Caramel) Icing

Original Recipe

1 1/2 cups brown and white sugar mixed
1/2 cup sweet cream butter -size of a walnut
Boil till thick
Vanilla to flavor

My instructions:
Mix in heavy boiler or double boiler:
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk (evaporated milk makes a great substitute for sweet cream)
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
Bring to a slow boil stirring continuously.
Boil until mixture thickens.
Take off heat
Add vanilla and let cool until just slightly warm.
Spoon onto cake.

This recipe came from a collection of over 200 handwritten recipes that. Franklin T. Wike, Jr inherited. The author, his great-grandmother, was Pennsylvania Dutch. She spent over 40 years as a cook for the United Christian Church Camp meetings in Lebanon County, PA.

Caramel Frosting

This is another original recipe
from Lizzie Fink Hostetter nee Long:

Mix:
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup of boiling water
Bring it to a boil and let boil until syrup will thread when dropped from a spoon.

Pour slowly while beating constantly onto the beaten white of 2 eggs.

Continue beating until mixture is cool.

Then set in a pan of boiling water and cook constantly until mixture becomes slightly granulated around the edge of dish.

Remove from stove and beat constantly until mixture holds it shape.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, Spread with the back of spoon.