Heirloom Chocolate Icing

{from the failed batch, consistency is like syrup not fudge. a result of whisking while it boiled}

The note reads, “I made this when I was 12 years old and it was my Grandmother Ward’s recipe-1934. Her name was Jessie Bertha Moreland Ward, Mama’s mother. Good icing for cake. As it sets, it looks like and tastes like fudge.”

She’s in the hospital right now. My mom and her other children are with her. She’ll be ok, but I’m scared, and worse, my mom is too. So I honor her by baking, something she was taught to do by her grandmother, and something I’ve always enjoyed watching and helping her do, praying as I stir. Giving her to God, and knowing that he is in control.

I haven’t made the icing before. I’ve left it to the experts, but it’s time I learned. While I can still call and get directions and tips. The first batch was completely ruined, but I persevered, knowing how tricky it was to get right. And when I succeeded, perfection in the form of the most delicious fudge like chocolate icing. Better than anything you could ever buy in a store. Full of love and memories.

{finally, success!}

Mema’s Chocolate Icing

Yield: 2 cups, enough for a two layer 9″ round cake or a 9×13″ pan.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients except for vanilla together in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted, whisking gently to blend ingredients.
2. Bring mixture to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally until it boils. Boil on medium heat for exactly two minutes. DO NOT STIR OR MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH MIXTURE.
3. Remove from stove, stir in vanilla, and let sit for five minutes.
4. Begin stirring and stir until icing loses a little bit of the shine, or your arm falls off, whichever comes first. Frosting will thicken as it cools.
5. Pour over cake, letting it drip over the sides. Spread as needed. Eat the last spoonful as a reward for all that stirring.