New Duchess Spice Cake W/ Maple Buttercream Frosting

[Worker Bee]

This is a family fave. The recipe comes from an old Betty Crocker (1950's, I think) cookbook. Since this is Spice Place, thought I'd share a spice cake recipe. It's delicious. I always take it to picnics and potlucks. Enjoy!


2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour OR
2 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup shortening
1 cup buttermilk
3 eggs

Grease and flour 2-9" layer cake pans or one 13x9" oblong
pan. Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg,
cloves and salt together. Add the brown sugar, shortening
and buttermilk. Beat 2 minutes. Add eggs. Preheat oven
to 350 degrees. Bake layer pans for 30 to 35 minutes,
oblong pan 45 minutes until cake tests done. Cool. Frost.

MAPLE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

1/2 cup Crisco shortening (regular only)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. maple flavoring (like vanilla extract)
4 cups (1 lb.) powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. milk

Cream butter and shortening. Add maple flavoring.
Gradually add powdered sugar. Gradually add milk and
continue beating until light and airy. Add more milk if
needed. Color with paste colors.

This icing is a light yellow and colors you add will be
affected by this. For pure white icing, use 1 cup regular
Crisco shortening and 1/2 tsp. Wilton butter flavoring.
This icing is somewhat stiffer. For blazing white, add
Wilton White White. Wilton White White will also make the
first buttercream recipe whiter, but be careful with colors
as they will still tend to be yellowish.