Preface:   As a freshman in high school, my parents uprooted us to Waxahachie, Texas. It was a shock for me having gone from small schools to this large high school. One of the first people to befriend me was Kristi James. We were in band and journalism together. We bonded instantly as we had the same sense of humor. We spent a lot of time replaying “Moonlightng” episodes instead of studying, and dissecting what was wrong with the kids who were “popular.” In journalism class and subsequently for the school nwspaper, Kristi was the star writer. She is one of those people who has a gift for telling stories. She can get to the root of who people are pretty quickly. We lost each other when I moved again my junior year but then she found me through the internet a few years back. It was as if no time had passed.

Kristi still writes stories. She calls them “everyday stories of everyday women.” She’s good. I keep telling her she needs to put all these stories together into a book. Maybe if she is encouraged by the response of this blog, she will. This is Kristi James. This is her mama’s cake recipe and her story. If you enjoy her story as much as I did, please let her know by commenting. It will be the proof I need to get her to start on that book. ~Aine

 Milky Way Cake and “Keeping Company” Icing

Kristi James

 This isn’t so much of a story about a recipe but an event that used to happen around any holiday or whenever this cake was made.

My mom is the “baker” of the family, which is ironic because my step dad’s nickname was Baker. I have absolutely no idea where his nickname came from. During the holidays, or whenever my step dad requested it, my mom would usually make a Milky Way cake.

Her favorite time to bake was usually late at night around everyone’s bedtime. That way she could take her time, and there was no noise or no one in her way. Well that was usually the case. When she was making this particular cake, my step dad would stay up with her to, you know, “keep her company.” This usually ended with him snoring on the couch.

After baking the cake and making the icing, she would ice the cake. As soon as she had the cake iced, she would “lightly” bang the spatula to get off the excess icing thus waking my step dad who would swear that he had not been sleeping–just “watching TV.” He would be a little surprised that she had finished icing the cake, but always wanted to know if there was a little icing left in the bowl.

After the first few times of him “keeping her company,” my mother realized his true motive. So from then on, whenever she made a Milky Way cake she would make some extra icing for my step dad to have a little special treat for his staying up and “keeping her company.”

Here is my mother’s Milky Way cake recipe and the icing recipe which maybe should be renamed the “Keeping Company” icing in honor of Baker, my step dad.

My step dad passed away almost 20 years ago, but to this day whenever my mom makes this cake she still makes a little extra icing.

Enjoy and a little warning: this cake is RICH so you definitely need some friends or family to “keep you company” as you enjoy!

MILKY WAY CAKE

8 (1 3/4 oz.) Milky Way bars

2 c. sugar

2 1/2 c. flour

1 1/4 c. buttermilk

1 c. pecans (optional per my mom)

3 sticks butter

4 eggs well beaten

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1. Melt Milky Way bars with 1 stick butter over low heat. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Cream remaining 2 sticks of butter with sugar.  Add the eggs and cooled chocolate mixture. Mix well.

3.  Mix flour and baking soda together in a separate bowl.

4. Alternate between adding the flour/baking soda mixture and the buttermilk to the batter blending well.

5. Add vanilla and nuts.

6. Grease and dust with powdered sugar 3 (9 inch) or one 13 x 9 cake pan.

7. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

“KEEPING COMPANY” ICING

2 1/2 c. sugar

1 stick butter

1 6 oz package chocolate chips

1 c. evaporated milk

1 c. marshmellow cream

1 c. pecans (optional)

1. Combine milk and sugar. Cook on low heat until soft ball stage. (SOFT BALL STAGE: the best way to determine this is whith a candy thermometer. At 235-245 degrees sugar reaches a stage where it makes a soft ball when dropped into cold water. The best way to test this is get a bowl of very cold water. When the milk/sugar reaches 235-245 degrees drop a spoonful of the mixture into the bowl. If it is at the soft ball stage, the syrup mixture will form a soft ball in the cold water. As soon as you life the soft ball out of the cold water, it will flatten in your hand)

2. Remove from heat and add butter, marshmellow cream, and chocolate chips.

3. Stir until all have melted.

4. Add pecans.

5. Spread on cake. Let cool and serve.