Caramel Cake

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum extract
Caramel Frosting
pecan halves
powdered sugar

Combine sour cream and milk; set mixture aside Cream 1 cup butter; gradually add 2 cups sugar, beating well at medium speed of an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix after each addition. Stir in flavorings. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans, bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

Spread Caramel Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with pecan halves and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Source: This cake won a Blue Ribbon at the Tennessee Valley Fair for many years by Mildred Payne.
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Caramel Frosting (REPOST)

Board: All Baking and Breadmaking at Recipelink.com
From: AJ in MD 9-19-2005
RE: ISO: chocolate cake with caramel icing
MSG ID: 0216992

BridgetDela, If you search this site for caramel frostings, you will find dozens to choose from. As for the cake, if your FIL is used to box cakes, he's likely to find a from-scratch cake dense. On the other hand, from-scratch cakes taste fresher. If you are not an experienced baker, this might not be the best time to experiment with scratch recipes.

Here's a caramel frosting recipe to get you started:

CARAMEL FROSTING

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine
3 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine margarine and sugar in a large saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture turns a light brown.

Remove from heat. Stir in milk; carefully bring mixture to boiling; lower heat. Put candy thermometer in mixture.

Cook, stirring gently, to 238 degrees (soft ball stage). Remove from heat; add vanilla; cool to 110 degrees.

Beat with spoon until mixture loses its gloss. This will take about 5 minutes.

Fill and frost cake quickly before mixture stiffens.