Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

Instructions

For Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment rounds and grease parchment.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
3. In the bowl of your Stand Mixer, beat the brown sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually add vegetable oil and mix until just combined.
4. Beat in pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
5. Alternate the dry ingredients and milk, in three batches, and beat until combined between each addition.
6. Divide batter equally into prepared pans. Bake cake, about 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center, comes out clean.
7. Let cakes cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

For brown sugar cinnamon swiss meringue buttercream:

1. Whisk together egg whites and brown sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl set over (NOT IN) a pan of simmering water.
2. Whisk until warm and sugar is dissolved (mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingers), 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. With a mixer on medium speed, whisk egg white mixture for 5 minutes (using the whisk attachment).
4. Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form and meringue has cooled (test by the feeling bottom of the bowl), about 6 minutes.
5. Reduce speed to medium and switch to the flat beater attachment. Add butter, one piece at a time, beating well after each addition. Keep mixing until the butter incorporates into the meringue, about 3-5 minutes. Once it comes together, keep beating until the buttercream is smooth.
6. Beat in vanilla extract and ground cinnamon.
7. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.