Kim's Buttermilk Spice Cake

This spice cake was inspired by a recipe from one of my mom's old cookbooks. It was my great-grandpa's favorite cake, and I used to make it for him all the time. It's a simple cake that's not too sweet, and has a rather strong spice flavor. Err on the side of underbaking the cake rather than overbaking, or it'll be dry.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 587 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Step 2

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice in a bowl until well combined.

Step 3

Cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract. Add in half of the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Pour in buttermilk, and mix until just combined. Add in remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.

Step 4

Bake in the preheated oven until the middle of the cake springs back lightly when touched, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely before frosting.

Step 5

For the frosting, cream butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until thoroughly combined. Mix in confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, and beat until smooth after each addition. Mix in vanilla and salt. Add in heavy cream and beat until frosting is smooth, about 2 minutes. Frost cooled cake as desired.