Spice Cake With Coffee-Toffee Crunch

This towering cake, garnished with chunks of coffee-flavored toffee, makes a luscious centerpiece for the holiday dessert table. The cake can be made and frozen in well wrapped split cake layers. then thaw them at room temp before assembling. Store toffee in airtight container at room temp. It makes for a beautiful cake with 6 layers with the frosting and the crunch - you're heaven bound! Free Trial Sunset Magazine, November 2007 edition. Prep & cook time is about 3 1/2 hours, plus cooling time of 1 hour.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 20
• Yields: 1 6-layer cake

Ingredients

• CAKE

• 1 1⁄4 cups butter, at room temperature, plus more for pans
• 3 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 5  large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup molasses
• 1  tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons ginger
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon clove (optional)
• 1 1⁄4 cups milk

• FROSTING

• 2⁄3 cup butter, at room temperature
• 24  ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (4 8oz. packages)
• 2 2⁄3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 1⁄2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons molasses
• 1  tablespoon milk

• COFFEE-TOFFEE CRUNCH

• 1⁄2 cup butter, cut in chunks, plus more for pan
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1  cup sugar
• 1  tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (we used Cuban coffee either Pilon or Bustelo)

Directions

1. CAKE:
2. Preheat oven to 350°F
3. Butter and flour three 8-in. round cake pans.
4. In a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed (use the blade or rotary beater if using a standing mixer), beat butter and sugar until fluffy and pale yellow, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as necessary & beat in molasses.
6. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves, if using.
7. Stir (or beat at low speed) a third of the flour mixture into butter mixture.
8. Stir in half the milk just until blended.
9. Stir in another third of the flour mixture, then remaining milk, followed by remaining flour, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
10. Scrape batter equally into prepared pans and spread level.
11. Bake cakes until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of a layer comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
12. Cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks and remove pans.
13. Cool completely before assembling.
14. FROSTING:
15. In a large bowl, beat butter with a mixer on low speed until light and fluffy.
16. Beat in cream cheese until well incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
17. Beat in powdered sugar, lemon juice, and molasses, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until no lumps remain.
18. COFFEE-TOFFEE CRUNCH:
19. Butter a 12X17" rimmed baking pan.
20. Measure out vanilla and set aside.
21. In a 2-3 quart saucepan over medium-low heat, stir sugar, butter, 1/4 cup water, corn syrup, and espresso(or Cuban)powder until butter is melted and you no longer see any crystals.
22. Increase heat to high and boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 300ºF on a candy thermometer, 4-5 minutes.
23. Quickly remove from heat and carefully stir in vanilla (MIXTURE WILL BUBBLE UP) BE CAREFUL, IT IS NOT WORTH BURNING YOURSELF!
24. Immediately spread thinly in prepared baking pan and let cool until hard, about 20 minutes.
25. Flex pan to release toffee.
26. If using for topping cake, finely chop enough to make 1 1/4 cups.
27. Break remaining toffee into small chunks and reserve for garnish. Store in airtight contained at room temperature for up to 1 week.
28. ASSEMBLY OF THE CAKE:
29. Cut 4 strips of waxed paper or parchment paper, each about 4 by 12 in., and arrange them in a square over edges of a serving platter.
30. With a serrated knife, carefully slice cake layers in half horizontally.
31. Place first split layer, cut side down, on serving platter (adjust parchment paper so that edges of platter are covered).
32. Spread layer with about 1/2 cup frosting.
33. Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup chopped toffee.
34. Repeat frosting and sprinkling with next 4 split layers.
35. Top with remaining split layer, but don't frost or sprinkle with toffee.
36. Brush away crumbs around sides and base of cake.
37. Spoon 1 cup frosting into a small bowl and stir in milk until smooth.
38. Spread a thin layer of frosting over top and sides of cake to seal in crumbs.
39. Refrigerate cake until coating is set, about 1 hour.
40. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake, then remove strips of paper.
41. If not serving within a few hours, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day,
42. Shortly before serving, garnish top of cake with toffee chunks.