Spice Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Last weekend my littlest sister turned 16. And so I baked her a cake (a threw her a little BBQ). But the cake was the highlight of the night. This recipe marks my official passage into the flavors of fall. Spice cake.  You can't get much more Autumn than that. I'm not saying that a few more summer tomatoes or fresh ears of corn won't make it onto the menu, but I'm moving on. Embracing what's coming. I've already stepped out into a few crisp mornings and had to turn the fan off a few nights in a row (although the AC is still running)! September is one of my favorite months. It's still warm, but sometimes breezy and cool. It brings the excitement of a fresh start to a school year and the upcoming holidays. And if you live here in Virginia, the beginning of the most beautiful time of the year.

I chose to bake Brooke a spice cake simply because it sounded so good. And I paired it with a caramel cream cheese frosting. The cake was moist and robust with earthy fall flavors- cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. And the frosting was tart and sweet and smooth.

This was the first time I attempted creating a cake with four layers. The hardest part is slicing the two rounds evenly in half. Mine were far from level. I've yet to create a symmetrical cake. But I really don't care, because I'm  into taste! And this cake tasted great.

INGREDIENTS
Spice Cake:
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup canola oil
5 large eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
pinch salt
1 cup buttermilk

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
12 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
pinch salt
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS
For the Spice Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) cake pans. Cut 2 (9-inch) parchment paper rounds and line the pan bottoms. Grease and flour the parchment rounds.

3. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream the brown sugar and butter. With the mixer running, add the oil in a steady stream. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt into a medium-size mixing bowl. Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the batter, mixing well.

5. With the electric mixer, in another large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold them into the cake batter.

6. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake until the center springs back when touched, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.

7. After the cakes have cooled, invert them onto sheets of parchment paper. Slice each cake in half and set aside. Spread a layer of the frosting over 3 layers of the cake. Place the layers of cake on top of each other and top with the fourth layer of cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Slice and serve. 

For the Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting:
1. Melt the brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium heat; remove from heat. Whisk in cream; blend well. Transfer to a heat-resistant bowl. Cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally.

2. Place remaining 12 Tbsp. butter and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla and salt. With mixer running, slowly pour in cooled brown sugar mixture; beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar gradually, beating well after each addition until completely smooth. Chill until ready to use.

Makes a tall 9-inch round layer cake. 

(Spice Cake from Food Network, Frosting from My Recipes)