Dessert: Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake with Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Carolyn Beth Well Chinese five-spice powder adds a complex, spicy note to this cake.

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder*
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/3 cup whole milk

Instructions

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350 °F. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with 1 1/2-inch sides with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with parchment; spray parchment.
Whisk flour and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in another large bowl until smooth. Beat in brown sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beating to blend between additions. Divide batter between pans.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool in pans on rack 15 minutes. Run knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto racks. Remove parchment. Using tart pan bottom as aid, turn cakes over onto racks, top sides up, and cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap cakes in plastic and store at room temperature.

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