Desserts

RECIPE: Old-Fashioned Fudge

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Grease an 8×8 inch square baking pan. Set aside.
Combine sugar, cocoa and milk in a medium saucepan. Stirto blend, then bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduceheat and simmer. Do not stir again.
Place candy thermometer in pan and cook untiltemperature reaches 238 degrees F (114 degrees C). If you are not using a thermometer, then cook until a drop of this mixture in a cup of cold water forms a soft ball. Feel the ball with your fingers to make sure it is the right consistency. It should flatten when pressed between your fingers.
Remove from heat. Add butter or margarine and vanilla extract. Beat with a wooden spoon until the fudge loses its sheen. Do not under beat.
Pour into prepared pan and let cool. Cut into about 60 squares.

Easy Vanilla Cake + Orange Buttercream Icing

Ok, so call me crazy, but I started this “cake and icing from scratch” adventure at 9pm on the eve of this St. Patrick’s Day. My boycotting of commercial holidays was over. I wanted sugar. I wanted green. I wanted to get lucky. And lucky I got.

I used this amazing recipe for Easy Vanilla Cake and this family favourite for a most decadent Orange ButterCream Icing.

I substituted regular milk for almond milk, and I used about 1/3 of a cup less of sugar in the cake batter. Honestly, I don’t think you’d even notice because the icing is so wonderful and sweet, that it really does tie everything together nicely.

Overall, it was a completely painless experience, except for the sore belly part from eating two pieces! Oops.