Shelly's Recipe

SPICED BUTTER CAKE WITH ORANGE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Category: Cakes

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon and ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 whole large eggs
5 large egg yolks
3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup apricot preserves

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour 2 (9 inch) round cake pans. Cream the butter and sugars until smooth. Add the spices, eggs and yolks, and beat, scraping the bowl, until light and fluffy.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl stir together the milk and vanilla. Beat the flour and milk into the butter mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour.

Divide the batter between the pans, smoothing the tops, and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, run a knife around the edges and turn them out onto cooling racks.

Put one layer on a cake plate upside-down. Spread it with the apricot preserves. Spread about 1 cup frosting over the preserves and top with the other layer, right side up. Spread the top and sides with the remaining frosting.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups confectioners sugar

Beat the butter until smooth. Add the cream cheese, zest and vanilla and beat until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar, beating and scraping the bowl until smooth.