Spice Cake Recipe

This is a great spice cake recipe with brown sugar frosting. This is also fabulous with a cream cheese frosting. It goes well at any fall or winter wedding, and pairs nicely with other layers of pumpkin or carrot cake, which are both in the "spice" cake family.

This spice cake recipe is originally from Diana Rattray, About.com Guide.

Ingredients:

    * 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
    * 1 teaspoon baking powder
    * 1 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    * 1/2 teaspoon ginger
    * 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
    * 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    * 1/2 cup butter, soft
    * 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
    * 1 cup granulated sugar
    * 2 eggs
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    * 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
    * Brown Sugar Frosting, below

Preparation:
Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Cream butter in a mixing bowl; add brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat at high speed of an electric mixer for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl often. Add sifted dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, mixing at lowest speed just until smooth.

Pour batter into two greased and floured 8-inch round layer cake pans. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on rack for 5 minutes, turn out of pans onto racks to cool completely.

Brown Sugar Frosting:
    * 2 egg whites
    * 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
    * 1/3 cup cold water
    * 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in top of double boiler. Beat 1 minute at high speed of electric mixer. Place over rapidly boiling water and cook, beating constantly, 7 minutes or until peaks form. Remove from heat and continue beating until spreading consistency is reached. Frost tops and sides of cooled spice cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

    * 1/4 cup butter
    * 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
    * 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
    * 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl; beat well until smooth. Makes enough for 2-layer spice cake. See our icing section for other cream cheese frosting ideas.

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