This mildly spiced cake with maple-spiked frosting makes the house smell wonderful in fall and winter; for a plain white cake, omit the spices – to make it chocolate, replace 1/2 cup of the flour with sifted cocoa powder.

Ingredients:

 

1 cup (250 ml) butter, at room temperature

2 cups (500 ml) sugar

4 large eggs

2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla

3 cups (750 ml) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend

1 tbsp (15 ml) gluten-free baking powder

1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon

1/2 tsp (2 ml) ginger

1/4 tsp (2 ml) nutmeg

1/4 tsp (2 ml) allspice

1/2 tsp (2 ml) baking soda

1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt

1 cup (250 ml) plain yogurt

 

Maple Buttercream:

3/4 cup (185 ml) butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup

1/4 cup (60 ml) milk or half & half

1 tsp (5 ml) maple or vanilla extract

4 cups (1 L) icing sugar, plus extra as needed


Directions:

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar for 3–4 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. 

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda and salt. Add a third to the butter mixture, beating just until blended. Add half the yogurt, then another third of the dry ingredients, then the remaining yogurt and dry ingredients, mixing until thoroughly blended.

Divide the batter between three 8- or 9-inch cake pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and springy to the touch. Cool for a few minutes in the pans, then run a thin knife around the edge of the pans and invert onto a rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat the butter, maple syrup, milk, maple extract and half the icing sugar until smooth; add remaining icing sugar, beating on low speed until you have a soft, spreadable consistency. (Add extra icing sugar or cream as needed if it’s too thick or thin.) Frost the cooled down cake and refrigerate until serving.

Serves 16.

Per serving: 523 calories, 20 g fat (13.5 g saturated fat, 5.9 g monounsaturated fat, 1.1 g polyunsaturated fat), 78 g carbohydrates, 101 mg cholesterol, 4.5 g protein, 0.7 g fibre.

Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, November 2013.