My mom was the youngest of seven children growing up during the great depression. This was a time when cities were vibrant hubs and New Britain, CT was no different. Downtown was bustling with stores, businesses, restaurants, and factories were on the outskirts of this multi cultural city with its different ethnic sections. This was a time when everyone was just trying to make ends meet. No frills, no extravagance. However, my immigrant grandmother always had a cake for each of her children on their birthday. Butter was expensive so the frosting recipe, known as “Poor Man’s Frosting, ” became the icing on the cake. Over the years, this recipe became the favorite as it had just the right amount of sweetness and butter could be used instead of Crisco shortening. However, my mom always preferred to keep to the original recipe. My cousins and I still use this recipe today and my niece recently asked me for a copy. I hope this simple nostalgic recipe is enjoyed by many for years to come.
Ingredients:
Milk, flour, butter or Crisco, sugar, vanilla
In a small pan, heat 1 cup milk and 4 tablespoons of flour. Stir until thick. Let cool completely. This step is really important. Mixture should be very cool.
In a bowl, combine 6 tablespoons of butter, 6 tablespoons of Crisco(can use 12 tablespoons of butter if preferred) 3/4 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat.
When milk mixture is very cool, add to butter mixture.
Beat all together until fluffy.
This recipe makes enough frosting for a two layer cake with frosting between the layers. Enjoy!
coffeemugsandchocolatecake 