The Spice Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

From Ellen's kitchen with birthday thanks to Butternutbakeryblog.com

Ingredients:

• Cake:
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 sour cream, room temperature
• Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prep two round cake pans, coating them with butter on bottom and lined with parchment.  
• In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.  Set aside.  
• In stand mixer, mix sugar, oil, and apple sauce until evenly moistened.
• Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla.
• Once smooth, mix in half of dry ingredients until combined.  Then mix in sour cream, followed by rest of dry ingredients.
• The batter should be fairly thin.  Divide the batter between the two cake pans.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  while cake bakes, make the brown butter.
• Once the cakes have baked, allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto cooling rack.  Transfer cooling cakes to refrigerator. 

Frosting:

• Add butter to a saucepan on medium heat.  Melt down and continue to stir until it bubbles, foams, and turns a rich amber color.  Pour brown butter into a shallow glass dish and chill while the cakes bake.
•  Check cooling butter, as you want opaque and firm, but not hard.  Should be the consistency of softened butter.
• When butter is ready, add it with cream cheese to stand mixer bowl.  Mix until smooth.
• Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, followed by the vanilla.  
• Doesn't hurt to chill in fridge at this point, while cooling cake.  
• Once cake is cooled, slice rounds in half and add a thin layer of frosting between each layer.  Frost exterior with remainder of frosting.  
• Chill cake until ready to serve.