"A deliciously spiced brown sugar cake with vanilla bean cream cheese buttercream that's perfect for fall."
Brown Sugar Spice Cake
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Prep time: 15mins
Cook time: 25mins
Serves or Makes: 10-15
Recipe Card
ingredients
Cake
- 2 3/4 cups cake flour, sifted
- 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder or instant coffee powder
- 1 3/4 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 3/4 cups whole buttermilk
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cups vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Method
Cake
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350. Spray two (or up to four) 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.
Step 2
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.
Step 3
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.
ingredients
Buttercream
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon meringue powder (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
Buttercream
Step 1
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.
Step 2
Remove the cooled cakes from the cake pans. Place one cake on top of a cake board or cake pedestal. Fill each layer with frosting, then stack the next layer. Frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream, chill for 30 minutes, then frost all over with a final layer of buttercream.
Step 3
The cake is best served at room temperature, but due to the cream cheese frosting, leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight cake carrier.