Little Cakes for Everyday by Candace Floyd
Cakes that serve 4-6? You bet.
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (160g)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon each ground ginger and cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon each ground cloves and nutmeg
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (113g)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar (213g)
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 2/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature (139g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Brown sugar buttercream
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon whole milk (or more)
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease two 6-inch round cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper. Grease the parchment. Dust the pans with flour.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
3. Place the butter in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat until creamy. Add the brown sugar, and beat until fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture and buttermilk a little at a time, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat until just smooth. Add the vanilla, and beat 30 seconds.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.
5. Bake the cakes 25 to 30 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Place the pans on a wire rack, and let the cakes cool 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, and return them, top side up, to the rack to cool completely.
6. To prepare the frosting, place the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioner’s sugar a little at a time, beating until smooth. Add the salt, vanilla, and milk, beating until smooth. Add more milk as needed to reach spreading consistency.
7. Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand, and top with about one-third of the frosting. Place the second cake layer on top. Frost the top and sides of the cake.
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