Maple Cake

Ingredients:

½ cup butter

1 ½ cups light brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 cups of flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup of buttermilk

Frosting:

1 cup of butter

½ tsp maple extract

¼ tsp salt

3 ½ cups of icing sugar

¼ cup of half-and-half cream

1 ½ tbsp of maple syrup divided

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a spring form pan with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each egg.  Beat in maple syrup.  In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Start adding this to the cream mixture, alternating with the butter milk, beating after each addition until both the dry mixture and buttermilk are all incorporated.

Transfer to the prepared pan and bake until the toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.  Cool outside of the oven for 20 minutes before moving it to a wire rack. Remove the sides of the spring form pan carefully and let it cool completely.  Once cooled, use a piece of thread to slice the cake horizontally down the middle.

For the frosting, beat butter until creamy.  Beat in the maple extract and salt. Gradually beat in the icing sugar and enough of the cream to reach the desired consistency.

Place one layer of the cake on a serving plate; spread it with one cup of the frosting. Drizzle ¾ tsp of the maple syrup on the frosted layer.

Top with the remaining layer.  Frost the top and sides of the cake through a piping bag.  Top with the remaining syrup.