Harvest Cake with Maple Frosting

Redolent with the sweet perfume of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, this harvest cake is perfect for fall.  Spread its delicate, spiced layers with lofty, light maple frosting and set it out for a fall dinner party or potluck.  It pairs beautifully with mugs of dark coffee, mulled wine, wassail, or sweet spiced cider.

Why Maple Sugar Works Well for Harvest Cake

Maple sugar, sweet with hints of caramel and toffee, works particularly well for baking.  It's in harvest cakes like this one, that maple sugar not only provides sweetness but deep complex flavors, too.  Touched by warming woodsy notes and the slightest hint of bitter coffee, maple tastes of autumn.  When you bake with maple sugar, you infuse your cakes with that same rich complexity of flavor.  And it marries beautifully with winter squash, apples and pears while amplifying the robust spice of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.