Pumpkin Spice Cake

3/4 cups 1 cup 1 cup 3 1 cup 1/2 cup 2 tsp 1-1/2 tsp 2 cups 2 tsp 1-1/2 tsp 1 tsp 1/2 tsp

Butter, softened Firmly packed dark brown sugar Sugar Large eggs Pumpkin puree Buttermilk Pure vanilla extract Orange zest (optional) Cups all-purpose flour Baking powder Ground cinnamon Baking soda Ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 35 F.

Lightly coat three 8-inch* cake pans with butter.  Cut three 8-inch circles out of parchment paper and fit them into the bottom of the cake pans.

Cream butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugars and mix until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, buttermilk, vanilla, and orange zest.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and nutmeg.  Set aside.  Alternately add the flour mixture and pumpkin mixture to the butter mixture, blending well after each addition until smooth.

Bake the cake: Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean approx. 35 to 40 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pan on wire racks for 30 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and return to the wire racks until completely cool.

Assemble the cake: Place one layer on a cake plate and top with one-third recipe of Pumpkin Cream-Cheese Frosting (recipe below).  Repeat with the second and third layers. Serve or store refrigerated for up to four days.

*Note:  If only two-layer cake is desired, use two cake pans.  You will have approximately 1-1/2 cups of batter left over which can be used to make four cupcakes.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. 1/4 cup 1/4 cup 1 tbsp. 1/2 tsp. 4 cups

Cream cheese, softened Pumpkin puree Butter, softened Orange juice Pure vanilla extract Powdered sugar, sifted

Combine cream cheese, pumpkin, butter, orange juice, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until smooth with an electric mixer.  Add the sugar, one cup at a time, and continue to beat until light and creamy -- about 5 more minutes.

Makes 16 servings