Grammama Jo's Caramel Cake

My mother was raised by her grandmother. Grammamma Josephine was a cook for many families in her town. 'Good ol' southern cook', they would say. She was the hired hand for a many Doctors and Professionals in her community. She cooked for Dr. Praider, Dic Creekmore, Owner of Creekmore and Sons Grocery, Ms. Lilly who owned Jellico 5 and Dime, and so many others, often too many to name. But Grammamma loved to cook for her family 'more than any those other folk', she said. Christmas time was one of her favorite holidays to prepare a feast for her family. Just as Zonana spoke on her mother, and grandmother before that making wraps with grape leaves, mommy and Jo would throw down in the kitchen. They would have turkey legs, chicken n' dumplins, mashed 'tatas', candied yams, corn pudding, a relish tray, and so many other delictable dishes. The highlight of that meal would be when Jo brought out her Famous Caramel Cake. Candied crunch atop this luscious cake, "mmmm mmmm", was all you heard.
"Jo let me get a piece, c'mom Jo, please. I been good." She would laugh, tickled still that her family was praising her masterpiece. "Now chil'ren, jest a minute herr, gimme a space to cut it loose". Then she'd cut a big piece for 'Nin, my mother, and all the others to follow, handing each one a glass of milk. "Eat't up, aint no more till next yerr", she would say with a big smile on her face. "Now this herr made our Christmas, didnt ev'n haf to buy nerr gift". That was so true, to this day it is NOT Christmas without Grammamma's cake and the warm stories that we share about her when we make her cake and when we share it together.

Grammamma Jo's Caramel Cake

Cake
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
3 cups self rising flour, sifted
1 cup milk
1tsp pure van extract

Filling
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp pure van extract

Icing
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, add more if necessary
1 oz powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp pure van extract

Preheat oven to 350
Grease, flour (3) 9" cake pans
Cream butter, add gran sugar slowly, beat for 6-8 min
Slowly add in 1 egg at a time, beat well
Alternate adding in milk and flour, start with flour, end with flour
Add in vanilla
Separate batter into pans, level the batter

Bake for 23-25 min, depending on oven, until golden brown.

Let the cake cool, completely.

Filling
Butter, brown sugar, milk into saucepan
Cook for 3 min
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla
Stack cakes inverted, place toothpics into cake

Icing
Melt butter, stir in brown sugar and cream, let boil, remove from heat
Add pow'd sugar, vanilla, beat until desired constistency (spreadable)
Add cream
Spread over entire cake
Let it set up, icing will harden
Enjoy

By Kara Thompson