Recipe: Fudgy Butterscotch Icing

Fudgy Butterscotch Icing

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

This intense butterscotch frosting is first boiled, then beaten, resulting in a fudgy consistency and deep, rich flavor. Use it as the crowning touch to your favorite recipe for pound or yellow cake. Adapted from "The Butterscotch Lover's Cookbook" by Diana Dalsass (Buttercup Press, 2001).

In testing this recipe, we found that name-brand dark brown sugar, such as Domino, produced a truer flavor than store-brand dark brown sugar.

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter

5 tablespoons nonfat or low-fat evaporated milk, plus more as needed

Pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the sugar, butter, evaporated milk and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the baking powder and vanilla extract. (At this point, the icing will be the consistency of thick syrup.) Use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the mixture until it is glossy and smooth and has thickened to frosting consistency. Immediately spread over cake; the frosting will harden slightly as it cools. (If you overbeat and the frosting becomes too thick and dry, beat in a tablespoon or so of evaporated milk until it reaches the correct consistency.)

Per 1/4 -cup serving: 169 calories, 1 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat, 21 mg cholesterol, 5 g saturated fat, 89 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber

Recipe tested by Candy Sagon; e-mail questions tofood@washpost.com