Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake

• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ teaspoons Saigon cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Adjust the oven rack to the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Add vinegar to the milk, stir, and set it aside to sour.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until the mixture is light, about 8 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Gradually beat the flour mixture, alternately with the sour milk, into the creamed mixture. Stir in the vanilla.

Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, then spray the pans and the paper with nonstick cooking spray with flour. Pour the cake batter evenly into the pans and bake 28 to 33 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes on a wire rack 30 minutes, remove them from the pans, and cool completely. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 7 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 4 to 5 tablespoons milk
• dash of salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until they are well blended. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, alternately with the milk, and the salt, beating until the frosting is thick and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla. Frost and decorate the cake as desired.

Yield: 1 2-layer cake