Fannie Flagg's Caramel Cake

  Tom's 65th birthday is coming up next week (07/28) so I've been wanting to make him a cake. Recently we read Fannie Flagg's Can't Wait to get to Heaven (2007) and I jotted down  her caramel cake recipe on an envelope. The cake is an important part of the book.

 I found the recipe posted on the web, too. Click here.

 As usual, I take the easy way out with recipes and have baked enough to generally know when I can pull it off. I simply softened the butter, added all the ingredients for the cake batter (flour last), stirred it thoroughly (I just use a tablespoon), poured it into an 8x8" greased metal pan and baked it according to directions.

 It turned out beautifully at 350° for 30 minutes.

 While it cooled I cooked the caramel icing. Again, I simply added everything to the pot (no sense dirtying a bowl) and cooked it until it thickened. Like the cake, the icing should be allowed to begin cooling before applying it to the cake. It certainly spreads better when everything is still warm.

 I took this picture before I was quite done. I used the spoon I applied the icing with to spread it to the very  edges. That'll help seal the cake from air and keep it fresh longer. I love the translucency of the icing.

 Tom thought it had a bit of a "cornbread" taste (which isn't his favorite) but it just tastes caramel to me. Caramel can easily take on a burnt taste but I was careful to neither overbake the cake or overcook the icing.

 In my opinion this cake is delicious and though it takes some time it's well worth the effort. I'm not a believer in heaven (so why did I read the book?) but I am a believer in good desserts. This one is truly heavenly.