The best icing ever.

My Aunt Sue is a really special person. I can’t begin to explain how much I admire her. She’s probably the most resilient, giving, tough, witty, no-nonsense, believing, selfless person I’ve had the privilege to be around. And she’s my mom’s best friend - another reason I’m thankful for her! She was kind enough to pass my grandma’s recipe on to me {I’ve never met my grandma because she passed away when my dad was only six.}

Being Easter time, I think it’s appropriate to share this amazing recipe. It makes me feel…I don’t know, touched?…when I make this – it’s a feeling like I’m connected to my grandma, even though we never met, and I really don’t know hardly anything about her. But making her recipe, I feel proud to be an Augustus and, well, connected. Hard to explain without sounding weird or cliché, but it is what it is. ;)

I’ve made this recipe for a pumpkin spice bundt cake at Thanksgiving, and the butter pecan cake, but it’s great on anything. {Who am I kidding, I eat it by the spoonful by itself!}

Grandma Helen Grace Augustus’ Penuche Frosting

½ c. butter (1 stick must be butter)
1 c. brown sugar packed
¼ c. milk
2 c. confectioner’s sugar
Hot water (optional)

In a sauce pan, melt butter. Add brown sugar. Bring to a boil and lower heat to med. low and continue to boil stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add milk, and bring to boil again, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm. Gradually add confectionary sugar and beat until thick enough to spread (use whisk). If it’s too thick, add a little hot water.

Amazing gooey, sugary, taste of heaven!

The pumpkin spice cake recipe I used at Thanksgiving is:

Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe (tasteofhome)

16-20 Servings
16-21 Prep: 15 min. Bake: 45 min. + cooling

Ingredients
• 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) spice cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Cream cheese frosting or whipped cream

Directions
• In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, eggs, pumpkin, water, oil, pudding mix and cinnamon. Beat at medium speed for 5 minutes. Stir in pecans.
• Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost cake or serve with whipped cream. Store in refrigerator. Yield: 16-20 servings.

It got lots of compliments from the Shumaker/Wade family. :)