Caramel Cake with Caramel Frosting
Alt.cooking-chien/Bill & Nancy/1999

2 cups self-rising flour *
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanills
Caramel frosting (Recipe follows)

1. Grease and flour two 9x1 1/2 inch layer pans. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Add shortening and 2/3 of the milk. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed with electric mixer, scraping side of bowl often.

3. Add remaining milk, eggs and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes longer. Pour into prepared pans.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until centers spring back when lightly pressed with fingertip. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes, loosen around edge, remove from pans, cool completely. Put layers together with frosting; frost op and side of cake.

* You can use 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in place of self-rising flour. Sift with sugar in step 2.

CARAMEL FROSTING

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

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

2. 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.