Pat's Minute Fudge Frosting

By Pam Barker

Ingredients

¼ Cup Butter
½ Cup Cocoa Powder
¼ Cup Milk (whole is preferred)
1 Cup Sugar
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Melt butter in saucepan. Add other ingredients and cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Stir constantly. Bring to a full boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add nuts if desired. Add vanilla. Beat until creamy enough to spread. While beating, add 1 teaspoon cream to keep from getting too hard.

Looks easy, huh?

Think again.

The first thing I need to say about this recipe, the name is totally NOT accurate. A recipe sham.

It is one of my favorites both growing up and as an adult...it is like a thin, velvety fudge, but there is nothing MINUTE about it. 
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In making this through the years, I have had many failures. My mother, on the other hand, never failed with this frosting. It's all about timing and it can not be rushed, but I have always wondered about the name. Why not call it...Cook It More Than A Minute, Beat It Until Until Your Arm Drops. Timing is ALL your call.

When done correctly, poured over a scrumptious chocolate cake, there is nothing better for a TRUE chocolate lover. Me. It is not too heavy, too thick, but like a luscious thick-ish glaze.

Like making homemade fudge candy, this frosting must not be overcooked, or under-cooked, under-beaten, over-beaten. Yes, just like in the fairy tale, it must be just right. In other words, it is all about the eye and the feel of the spatula as it is boiled, then beaten. In reality, one minute timing is not enough. Boil it longer, THEN remove from heat, and let rest a minute.

Using a rubber spatula, stir the ingredients in a figure-eight swirl, the frosting will begin to get a glossy appearance and stirring will become a bit more resistant. 

When the eye and the hand, not the timer tell you...pour onto the cake.

This handed-down recipe is worth it, and when I feel adventurous, I make it for brownies.
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