Spice Cake, Layer with Icing (Taste of the South)

By MarieR

This really looks good!

Ingredients

• Yield: 1 (9-inch) three-layer cake
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons light molasses
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 cup finely ground, toasted pecans
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 recipe Spice Cake Icing (recipe follows)
• 1 1/2 cups toasted pecan halves
• 1 (12-ounce) jar hot caramel ice cream topping, warmed slightly
• Spice Cake icing
• Yield: about 4 1/2 cups
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 6 to 7 cups confectioners'sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Details

Servings 1

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add molasses, and beat until mixture is combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ground pecans, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and ginger. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans.
4. Bake until layers are firm to the touch and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
5. Spread Spice Cake Icing evenly between layers and on sides and top of cake. Arrange pecan halves around bottom of cake. Spread warmed caramel over top, and let it drip down sides of cake. Using 5 pecan halves, arrange a star on top of cake.

Spice Cake Icing
Yield: about 41/2 cups
1. In a large bowl, beat butter a" cream cheese at medium-higt' speed with an electric mixer un: light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt, beating until mixture:: combined, approximately 6 mirv.-