Spice Cake

 Mulling Spice Cake

Cake Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups flour

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground cloves

• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons orange zest

• ¾ cups molasses

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ cup apple cider

Frosting Ingredients

• 12 ounces cream cheese, softened

• ¾ cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 6 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.

• Coat two 9-inch round pans with baking spray and line the bottoms with parchment.

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, spices and salt; set aside.

• Beat together the butter and brown sugar until smooth.

• Mix in eggs and orange zest

• In a separate bowl mix the molasses and baking soda.

• In a small saucepan, bring the apple cider to a boil then whisk it into the molasses and baking soda

• Beat in a third of the flour to the butter mixture until combined, then half the cider mixture. When it’s blended, add half the remaining flour, all the remaining cider, then the rest of the flour, beating to blend after each addition. Batter will be runny.

• Divide the batter between the pans, swiveling the pans to level the batter, which will be scant. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, rotating halfway through. Let cakes cool in pans for 15 minutes, then unmold and transfer the cakes to wire racks to cool fully.

• Prepare the frosting: Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and salt, and mix briefly. On low speed, add the confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. After all the sugar is incorporated, scrape the bowl, then beat the frosting on medium-high for 15 seconds.

• Place one layer of cake on a serving platter. Top with 1 cup frosting, and spread it to the edge of the cake. Place the second cake layer on top, and frost the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Top with a smattering of crystallized ginger bits, chocolate pearls or sprinkles, if desired. Refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 3 days) before serving..

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Cast-iron Spice Maple Cake

Cake Ingredients

• 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter

• ¾ cup real maple syrup

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger

• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Maple Frosting Ingredients

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, at room temperature

• ⅓ cup real maple syrup

• 2–3 cups powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Vanilla sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.

2. In large 10–12 inch cast iron skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the browned butter to a heatproof mixing bowl. Let cool for 5–10 minutes.

3. Add the maple syrup and vanilla to the browned butter and beat until combined. Then add the eggs and yogurt, beating until fully incorporated. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, and salt. Mix until smooth and no lumps remain in the batter. Pour the batter into the skillet used to brown the butter. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 30–40 minutes. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.

4. To make the frosting, beat together the butter and maple syrup until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Taste, adding more powdered sugar as desired.

5. Frost the cake and sprinkle with vanilla sugar, if desired. Slice into wedges and serve

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