Butter Cake with Homemade Frosting - recipe from the early 50's!

This is a recipe that is at least from the early 50's - but if I had to guess, was part of all the recipes my grandmother used in her lifetime (I'm only 49, but my grandmother was born in 1899 - I'm proud of that.) In 1937, Louisville KY suffered a terrible flood; my grandmother was asked to cook for the Kentucky National Guard. My mother often talked about how, as a child of only 12, many troops were gathered at her home eating breakfast, lunch and dinner on a constant 24 hour loop. They slept when they could. I can't imagine that would happen in this day and age, but this was 1937 - and they let my grandmother keep whatever wasn't used at the end of the mission.

Mt grandmother was a wonderful cook and nothing - I mean nothing - went to waste. Leftover grits served for breakfast? Refrigerated, sliced and fried later (in bacon grease no less!) in crispy/creamy discs usually served with braised pork chops. Egg shells and vegetable peels were used as mulch on her garden. And cakes were made from scratch. Now there's nothing wrong with a boxed cake mix, but the homemade cakes have a different texture - there's nothing like it. And you really must use real butter in this recipe. If you are going to take the time to make it homemade, use the best ingredients. Every now and then, you must remind yourself why you work, why you sacrifice. Believe me, it's worth it. As far as the name? On the recipe card, it wasn't named. So to me, she was "Mamaw." But to everyone else, they referred to her affectionately as "Mrs. Ashby." So in her honor, I hope this will bring some great memories to your family as it has mine.

Mrs. Ashby's Butter Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 2/3 white cups sugar (I use Domino's Sugar)
1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
1 cup buttermilk
4 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla (I used Penzeys)

Preheat oven to 350*. Thoroughly and grease a 13 x 9 inch pan.

Combine all cake ingredients, beat at low speed just until moistened, then beat on high until mixed, be careful not to over mix. Your mixture probably won't look like a cake mix batter - that's okay. It's part of making a homemade cake. Pour batter into your 9 x 13 pan and bake about 30 - 40 minutes. Like most baked goods, a toothpick will come out clean when it's done. Cool while you make your frosting.

Frosting


6 tablespoons butter
3 cups powdered sugar (just about 1/2 cup shy of a box)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons milk (at the most, sometimes I use only 1 tablespoon)

Now here is what makes this frosting different; brown the 6 tablespoons of butter. Watch it closely and it may get foamy but when it turns a beautiful brown remove it from the heat. In my estimation, it takes about 5 minutes. You must cool completely before you proceed (can you tell I've missed this step before and wasted my ingredients?)

Mix the cooled browned butter with the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add just enough milk so your frosting will be a thick, gorgeous spreading consistency. Frost the cooled cake.

Try not to eat all of it. (Can you tell I've missed this step too?)

Enjoy!