Buttermilk Spice Cake

When I was growing up, my mother was a Junior Leaguer -- something I thought was super awesome. As an adult my Junior League bubble was burst just a little bit when I realized that the chapter with which my mom was involved was way more awesome than most. She lobbied on Capitol Hill and raised tons of money for worthy causes as opposed to just getting together for margarita night and trashy novel discussion (not that there's anything wrong with that). But one of the ways her chapter raised funds was through publishing a number of cookbooks. And to this day, my Junior League cookbooks are some of my favorite sources for recipe ideas -- including a favorite fall/winter go-to recipe: buttermilk spice cake.

While it's not the prettiest cake you'll ever see, it's a great, simple recipe that will please lovers of carrot cake and/or molasses cookies with an extra kick of spice and the smoothness of buttermilk. And it's great with a cup of coffee and maybe some vanilla ice cream.

BUTTERMILK SPICE CAKE

For the cake:
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs

For the frosting:
1/2 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. whole milk
3/4 c. sifted confectioners' sugar

To make the cake: Mix the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk and butter and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat an additional 2 minutes.

Spoon the batter into two greased and floured round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting: Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the brown sugar and cook until bubbly. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Cool slightly and add the milk. Beat until smooth. Add enough confectioners' sugar to make desired consistency and mix well. Spread the frosting between the layers and over the top and sides of the cake.