Shannon here: Ada Brownell shares a recipe for Glossy Chocolate Fudge Frosting. Yum! Plus a chance to win a copy of her historical romance, The Lady Fugitive. Comment or answer the question at the end of any post dated Dec 30 – Jan 4 to enter the drawing, U.S. only. Deadline: Jan 12th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Ada:
HOW A NEWLYWED MADE A GORGEOUS CAKE
I made this recipe for the first time after our honeymoon when my husband, L.C., went back to work as a telegrapher on the evening shift for the Rio Grande Railroad. I didn’t have a recipe book, but I had leaflets from Pillsbury and that’s where I found this recipe. I made the two-layer chocolate cake from the recipe on the back of the cocoa box.
We lived in Colorado at about 5,000 feet and I didn’t notice the high altitude modifications to the recipe, so the cake fell. Well, I was young, but I also was creative. I turned a saucer upsidedown on the cake plate and went ahead and put on the round layers, spreading the frosting. It was a great creation, and I knew the frosting was to die for because I tasted it.
L.C. came home a little after midnight and thought he really had something until he cut it and hit the saucer. But he loved the cake. That frosting recipe was a favorite in our family. Our oldest son still requests the frosting for his birthday cake every year and his wife, Janice, usually makes it. His daughter, Melissa Salazar, continues the tradition with her family.
Glossy Chocolate Fudge Frosting
2 ¼ cups sugar
3 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
½ cup margarine
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine sugar, chocolate, margarine salt, milk and syrup. Cook, stirring frequently to 232-degrees or until soft ball stage. (Softball stage is when you drop about a teaspoon of frosting into a cup of cold water and it can be made into a soft ball). Cool to lukewarm. Add vanilla. Beat until thick enough to spread.
Note: 3 tablespoons cocoa can be substituted for each unsweetened chocolate square. Also, be sure to scrape the pan often while cooking and try to get all the sugar grains dissolved or the frosting could turn grainy. It helps to butter the side of the pan before cooking.
About Ada: Ada Brownell, a devoted Bible student, has written for Christian publications since age 15 and spent much of her life as a reporter for The Pueblo Chieftain in Colo. She also is a veteran youth Christian education teacher. After moving to Missouri in her retirement, she continues to write books, free lance for Sunday school papers, Christian magazines, write op-ed pieces for newspapers, and blogs with stick-to-your-soul encouragement. She is the author of six books. She is a member of Ozarks Chapter of American Christian Writers and American Christian Fiction Writers. She and her husband have five children, one in heaven, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Her historical romance, The Lady Fugitive, is a 2015 finalist for the Clash of the Titles Laurel Award. Learn more and connect: Ada’s Blog
About the book – The Lady Fugitive: How does a respected elocutionist become a face on a wanted poster?
Jenny Louise Parks escapes from the coal bin, and her abusive uncle offers a handsome reward for her return. Because he is a judge, he will find her or he won’t inherit her parents’ ranch.
Determination to remain free grips Jenny, especially after she meets William and there’s a hint of romance. But while peddling household goods and showing a Passion of the Christ moving picture, he discovers his father’s brutal murder.
Will Jenny avoid the bounty hunters? Can she forgive the person who turns her in?
2015 Laurel Award runner-up.
Can’t wait for the drawing? Purchase now: Ada’s Amazon Page
Question for readers: What’s the biggest cooking mistake you made as a newlywed?
Come back Jan 1st for Ada’s real life romance!
Oh my…..I made two pies, topped them with meringue, and put them in the oven. When I took them out, the meringue had shrunk to the middle of the pie and looked pitiful.
melback at cebridge dot net
Oh no, you are really testing my memory, lol, that was almost 45 years ago. I guess I would have to say there were probably many since I had not cooked much before I got married. My mom cooked in a bunkhouse, yes a bunkhouse, on a ranch so we didn’t do a lot of meals at home.
Thank you for the chance to win a copy of “The Lady Fugitive”, love the cover and it sounds like a good book.
wfnren at aol dot com
My cooking skills were not the best even though I received a cookbook as a shower gift.
The first meal was chicken chow mein out of a can with chow mein noodles. I didn’t mess it up but needless to say we never had it again.
I put a cup of salt into a cake instead of a tsp. Wow – didn’t turn out too well!!
These are hilarious! Love that you don’t mind sharing! Beth, a cup of salt! Janet, you must have had some feedback from your man! Melanie, I spent years trying every trick I heard of to make good meringue, and it shrunk and was covered with tears, part of them mine and part the egg whites going back to their original state, a drop at a time. I finally decided the chickens had it in for me because of how I hated going in the hen house and hunting the eggs, and they refused to lay a good egg for me. I gave up and used Cool Whip instead. Thanks, Wendy, for the nice comments about the book.
Happy New Year, girls!
I made gravy with buttermilk. Uggh.