Easy Buttermilk Spice Cake

You know that I like easy when it comes to baking. Well on Easter Sunday we are having breakfast at my daughter's. It just so happens that we are scraping the bottom of the barrel with our food budget this week and I need to bring something. Scouring my cabinets and pantry and refrigerator I saw that I didn't even have two cups of flour left to put together a nice breakfast bread then I spotted the Buttermilk Pancake Mix. Well what to my wondering eyes did appear but a recipe on the box for a spice cake. I took the recipe and embellished on it and made it my own.

• 2 cups Aunt Jemima® Buttermilk Pancake mix
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 stick melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 3 oz. maple syrup or 6 tbsp.
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. allspice
• Crisco® or non-stick cooking spray

1. In one bowl whisk together the milk, melted butter, eggs and maple syrup.
2. In another larger bowl whisk together the pancake mix and spices.
3. Then combine the wet with the dry, mixing gently until the large lumps disappear. The batter is more dense and thick than a normal cake batter.
4. Grease two 8 inch cake pans. Add the batter evenly into both pans and use a spatula to smooth it out.
5. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 16-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and take a knife and loosen around the edges, then turn out onto a rack to completely cool.

I also decided to frost this baby with a maple flavored cream cheese frosting.

• 1 - 8 oz. bar softened cream cheese
• 1/2 stick softened butter
• 2 cups confectioners sugar - sifted
• 4 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla

1. Using a hand held mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth
2. Add in 1 tsp.vanilla and the maple syrup and the first cup of confectioners sugar. Beat well.
3. Taste for sweetness and add in ONLY 1/2 cup of the last of the confectioners sugar (wrap and save the rest for another recipe) and beat in until smooth and creamy.
4. Your are ready to spread the frosting. This makes enough frosting to frost both layers and the sides.

How easy is this? The cake is dense and more dry than a normal cake making it a perfect brunch/breakfast cake. It doesn't rise high like a normal cake so don't expect it to. Also, I decided that there was enough sweetness to the frosting with 1 1/2 cups of the confectioners sugar that is why I opted out of the last half cup. But you be the judge when you make it. I did dot the top with some pecan pieces to jazz it up a touch. The flavor of the cinnamon and just that small amount of allspice made this cake shine. Plus that sweet cream cheese frosting was a perfect topping for this particular recipe.

Oh and before I forget, here's the cake cost and the frosting cost. The cake cost $3.09 and the frosting was $3.11. $6.20 for an easy cake and you get 24 servings for 25¢ per slice.