Brown Sugar Spice Cake

Brown Sugar Spice Cake

Cake.

• • 2 3/4 cups cake flour

  • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1 tablespoon espresso powder or instant coffee powder

  • 1 3/4 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed

  • 1 3/4 cups full-fat buttermilk, room temperature

  • 3 large eggs, room temperature

  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

Buttercream.

• • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

  • 4 ounces (1 stick or 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

  • 1 tablespoon meringue powder

  • 1/8 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Note: This recipe makes a conservative amount of buttercream. If you'd like enough buttercream to cover the cake and/or fill more layers, simply double the buttercream recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray two (or up to four) 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices and espresso powder. In another bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, buttermilk, eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until well combined, about 1 minute. Divide the batter between the pans.

Bake until a cake tester or sharp knife comes out clean, or with moist crumbs clinging to it, about 25-28 minutes. Set the pans on a wire rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.

For the buttercream, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat until combined, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, meringue powder, salt and vanilla, and mix on low to combine, then beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down occasionally, about 4-5 minutes.

Remove the cooled cakes from the cake pans. Place one cake on top of a cake board or cake pedestal. Frost with 1/2 of the buttercream, leaving the sides naked. Place the second cake layer and frost the top.

Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen