Penuche Icing

Cake makes me happy. Fat and happy. Is that so wrong? Home-made cake and homemade frosting makes me really happy. And for the record, I do not equate home-made with made from scratch. There is a difference. Moving on, this frosting is simply fabulous. All that brown sugar gives it such a butter-scotchy feel, its delightful on yellow cake. Thanks to my mother-in-law for sharing the recipe! Feel free to pair it with different flavored cakes, let your taste-buds guide you. I've included one of my favorite doctored up cake mixes from the lovely "Hello Cupcake" cookbook. Happy cake making to you!

Easy Penuche Icing:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 3/4 to 2 cups sifted powdered sugar

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in brown sugar. Boil and stir over low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in milk. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool until lukewarm, approx 120 degrees on a candy thermometer. Gradually stir in powdered sugar. Place saucepan in a bowl full of ice water and stir with a wooden spoon until thick enough to spread. If its too thick, add milk by the tablespoon. If its not thick enough, add powdered sugar by the tablespoon until icing reaches desired spreading consistency. Makes enough for 2 9" layers or 9x13 oblong.

Doctored Yellow Cake Mix:

(will work with French Vanilla, Devil's Food or Yellow cake mixes)

1 box cake mix (I use Duncan Hines exclusively)
1 cup buttermilk (in place of the water called for on the box)
vegetable oil (the amount on the box)
4 large eggs (in place of the # called for on the box)

Make cake as per instructions on back of box. Frost with icing when cake has cooled.