Autumn spice cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 Tb + 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup Softened butter
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
caramel ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease & flour baking pan.
Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.
Cut cake into 2 layers. Combine 1/2 cup icing with ice cream topping; spread between cake layers. Lightly ice cake with remaining icing.

This recipe makes a fairly short cake. If you would like a taller cake just double recipe and make two round cakes and then stack.

Buttercream Icing

My wonderful mother-in-law, Harla, gave me a gift certificate for a cake decorating class for my birthday. I took the class and am now forever hooked on decorating cakes. Here is the recipe I got from class for Buttercream Icing.

There are 3 different consistencies; Stiff, Medium & Thin.

Yields 3 cups

1 cup solid white vegetable shortening

1 tsp Wilton Flavor (Vanilla, Almond or Butter)

2 Tb milk or water

1 lb pure cane powdered sugar (approx. 4 cups)

1 Tb Wilton Meringue Powder

Cream shortening, flavoring & milk.

Add dry ingrediants & mix on medium speed until mix well.

Blend an additional minute or so, until creamy.

(Mix a minute to a minute & a half)

For Chocolate Buttercream add the following:

3/4 cup chocolate baking powder or three 1 oz unsweetened chocolate squares, melted.

Add an additional 1 or 2 Tablespoons water to recipe.

Mix until well blended.

Medium Consistency

Medium icing creates stars, figure piping, borders & flowers with petals that lie flat.

~ Add 1 tsp milk or water to each cup of stiff consistency.

~ If using full recipe add 1 Tb milk or water.

Thin consistency

For writing, making vines, leaves and icing a cake.

~ Add 2 tsp of milk or water to each cup of stiff consistency.

~ If using full recipe add 2 Tb of milk or water.

~ For writing, stems & leaves also add 1/2 tsp Wilton Piping Gel per cup of icing.