Perfect Caramel Icing

This truly is the most perfect caramel icing in existence. I threw this overtop of a delightful home-made spice cake, and the pairing was beautiful.  I can't take credit for the icing itself, but the pictures are all mine. You can find where I got the original recipe below. This icing freezes well, too, so if you find that you have too much for the job, you can save some for later.

Perfect Caramel Icing

2 1/2 c. sugar

1 slightly beaten egg

1 stick of butter

3/4 c. milk

1 t. vanilla

Melt 1/2 cup of sugar in iron skillet slowly, until brown and runny. Mix egg, butter, remaining sugar, and milk in a saucepan and cook over a low flame until butter melts. Turn the heat up to medium and add the browned sugar. Cook until it reaches the soft ball stage or until mixture leaves sides of pan. This takes about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, and add vanilla. Beat until right consistency to spread. If it gets too thick add a little cream. This will ice a 2 layer cake.

Looks a bit like an oversized donut, I think. 

This recipe originated here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1913,157162-225195,00.html