Spice Cake - best cake I've ever made

 This amazing recipe is from Butternut Bakery Blog

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INGREDIENTS

SPICE CAKE

• 2 3/4 cups (350g) all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 2 cups (380g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup (200ml) vegetable or canola oil
• 1 cup (235g) unsweetened apple sauce
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (200g) sour cream, room temperature

BROWN BUTTER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter
• 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 5 cups (600g) powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

DECORATIONS

• Cinnamon sticks
• Candied nuts (half the recipe)

INSTRUCTIONS

SPICE CAKE

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and prep (2) 8″ round cake pans. Coat them with a thin layer of nonstick spray and line the bottoms with a round sheet of parchment paper. Wrap in damp cake strips if you have them. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, either mixing by hand with a whisk or an electric mixer, mix together the sugar, oil, and apple sauce until the sugar is evenly moistened.
4. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
5. Once smooth, mix in half of the dry ingredients until combined. Then mix in the sour cream, followed by the rest of the dry ingredients.
6. The batter should be fairly thin. Pour it into the two cake pans, filling each about 2/3 full.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. While the cake bakes, make the brown butter.

BROWN BUTTER

1. Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Melt it down and continue to stir until it bubbles, foams, and turns a rich amber color (for more details on how to brown butter, click here). Pour the brown butter into a shallow glass dish and chill while the cakes bake.
2. Once the cakes have baked, allow them to cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Then, flip out on to a cooling rack. If you plan on decorating the cake that same day, transfer the cakes to the refrigerator uncovered to chill completely before frosting. If you are decorating the next day, allow the cakes to cool completely at room temperature. Then wrap each layer in plastic wrap and chill overnight.

BROWN BUTTER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1. Once the cakes are chilled, make the frosting. But first, test the butter. It should now be opaque and firm, but not hard. It should be the consistency of softened butter to where you can easy dig into it with a butter knife. If it’s not there yet, continue to chill.
2. When it’s ready, add the butter and cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth, either using a hand or stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
3. Mix in 1 cup of powered sugar at a time, followed by the vanilla. If it’s still too thin, add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time to thicken. Or, if your home is a bit warm, transfer the frosting to the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes to thicken.

ASSEMBLE

1. When the cakes have completely cooled, level off the tops and slice each layer in half to make 4 thin layers. You don’t have to do this, but I like how it evenly distributes the frosting throughout the cake.
2. Add a thin layer of frosting between each layer. Once all layers have been stacked, cover the cake in a thin coating of frosting to lock in the crumbs. Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill for 20-30 minutes to allow the frosting to set.
3. Once chilled, cover the cake with the remaining frosting. Add any decorations you like, such as cinnamon sticks, crumbled cake scraps, or homemade candied nuts.
4. Place the cake back in the refrigerator to chill until serving. Enjoy!

NOTES

CAKE PANS – You can also make (3) 6″ cake layers or (2) 9″ cake layers. Just make sure to watch the cook times. It make take closer to 30-35 minutes to bake in larger or multiple pans. Although I haven’t tested it, this batter should make the right amount for a 9×13″ baking dish. Bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Then, only make half of the frosting recipe to spread on top.

SPICES – Cardamom isn’t a spice that’s in everyones kitchen. If you don’t have it on hand, you can leave it out and add 1/4 tsp extra of both cinnamon and ginger to the recipe, or swap it with pumpkin pie spice.

Our Favorite Potato Leek Soup

Seriously the best soup ever

From Tastes Better From Scratch

3 tablespoons butter

2 slices bacon , chopped

2 large leeks , (the white and light green part only), chopped

2 pounds yukon gold potatoes , peeled and chopped

4 cups chicken stock , or vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh thyme , or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Freshly cracked pepper and salt

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup heavy cream (can substitute whole milk)

crushed red pepper flakes , optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp and the fat is rendered off into the pan. Add chopped leeks and potatoes to the pan and cook until the leeks are soft.

Stir in white wine to deglaze the pan. Add stock, bay leaves, and thyme then season generously with salt and pepper.

Simmer until the potatoes are very soft. Remove bay leaves. Blend the soup with an immersion blender until creamy with just a few chunks. Remove from heat and cool slightly before adding the cream. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed, or a sprinkle of crushed red pepper or hot sauce, if desired.

Soup will thicken slightly as it cools.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: This soup can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. If the soup is overly thick when rewarmed, add a splash of milk or cream. Taste and add additional salt, pepper, or thyme, as needed.

Freezing Instructions: You can freeze leek and potato soup for up to 3 months, but don't add the cream. Allow the soup to cool, then add to a freezer safe container. Thaw in the fridge overnight or warm from frozen on the stovetop. Once warm, stir in the cream.

Variations:

Instant Pot: Turn instant pot to sauté. Add butter to the pot. Once melted, add bacon. Once cooked, add leaks and potatoes and cook until leaks are softened. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze pan with wine, if using. Add stock, bay leaves and thyme.Cook on manual, high pressure, for 9 minutes. Quick release and turn pot off. Blend soup lightly with an emersion blender. Stir in cream.

Slow Cooker: Sauté bacon in butter. Add leeks and cook until tender. Deglaze pan with wine, if using. Add everything to slow cooker along with potatoes, stock, thyme, bay leaves and salt and pepper. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-5 hours, until potatoes are tender. Stir in cream. Taste and season if needed.

Vegan: Substitute plant butter or coconut oil for the butter, omit the bacon, and substitute the cream with cashew cream.

Vegetarian: This soup can be made vegetarian by simply omitting the bacon and substituting vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.

Gluten Free: Unlike some potato leek soup that is made using flour, this dish is already gluten free :).

Dairy Free: Substitute plant butter or coconut oil for the butter and substitute the cream with cashew cream.