Autumn Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 3/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped pecans, optional
• 12 oz cream cheese, nearly at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, nearly at room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 9-inch round baking pans thoroughly with non-stick baking spray, add a light coating of flour, and tap out any extra. If you have cake strips, fit them around the pans for flatter layers. Put the pans aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves for 20 seconds, then set that bowl aside.
3. Add the brown sugar to the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Use your fingertips to crumble it apart until the lumps are gone.
4. Pour in the vegetable oil and applesauce. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and mix until everything is nicely combined, pausing now and then to scrape down the bowl as you go.
5. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
6. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix on low just until it disappears into the batter. Mix in the buttermilk, then add the remaining 1/2 of the flour mixture and blend until fully incorporated.
7. Portion the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake in the heated oven until a toothpick poked into the middle comes out clean, about 28 – 32 minutes.
8. Let the cakes rest in their pans for about 5 – 10 minutes. Slide a knife around the sides to loosen them, then turn them out upside down onto a wire rack.
9. Once the layers are completely cool, trim the tops if needed to even them out. Cover with cream cheese frosting, and if you’d like, press pecans around the edges.
10. For the frosting, add the butter and cream cheese to the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, then beat until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until the frosting is well combined.