Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Name: Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: Serves 12 to 14
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups, unbleached all-purpose flour (11¼ ounces/319 grams), plus extra for dusting pans; 1 tablespoon, ground cinnamon; 3/4 teaspoon, ground cardamom; 1/2 teaspoon, ground allspice; 1/2 teaspoon, ground cloves; 1/4 teaspoon, ground nutmeg; 16 tablespoons, unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened; 1/2 teaspoon, baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon, baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon, table salt; 2 large, eggs at room temperature; 3 , large egg yolks at room temperature; 1 teaspoon, vanilla extract; 1 3/4 cups, granulated sugar (12¼ ounces/347 grams); 2 tablespoons, light molasses or mild molasses; 1 tablespoon, grated fresh ginger; 1 cup, buttermilk, at room temperature; 5 tablespoons, unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces, softened; 1 1/4 cups, confectioners' sugar (4½ ounces/128 grams); 8 ounces (227 grams), cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces, softened; 1/2 teaspoon, vanilla extract; 3/4 cup, coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 2008, America's Test Kitchen TV

Spice cakes can be bland and leaden. Could we create a tender, airy cake with convincing spice flavor that stands up to a rich cream cheese frosting?

SERVES 12 to 14

TIME 1½ hours, plus 2 hours cooling

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