Spiced Honey Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Serves 8

Here is a cake that is gluten free, made with honey, and has a creamy cream cheese and coconut milk frosting perfect for Mother's Day or any type of Graduation party. I made it with all purpose flour, and turned it into a layer cake, but to keep it simple, follow the instructions and just make 1 9-inch layer cake and let the frosty drape over the sides. Decorate with fresh flowers, fennel fronds, bee pollen and berries!

Cake

• 2 cups gluten free all purpose baking flour (I like King Arthur's gluten free all purpose flour)
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup raw honey
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• ½ cup buttermilk

Frosting

• 6 TBSP cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk, cream separated from the milk, room temperature

For the cake: 

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Coat a 9 inch cake pan with non-stick spray and line bottom with parchment paper.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a medium bowl to combine.
4. Combine both sugars, honey, oil, egg and egg yolk in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
5. Scrape seeds from the vanilla bean into bowl.
6. Using electric mixer or your stand mixer on medium speed, beat mixture until pale yellow, about 4 minutes.
7. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually pour in buttermilk and orange juice. Beat until frothy, about 2 more minutes.
8. Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients; beat until smooth and homogeneous - the batter will be thin like pancake batter. 

 Pour into prepared cake pan and bake until golden brown and center springs back when gently pressed. 45-55 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool in pan 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edged of the cake to loosen and invert onto rack, let cool completely. Cake can be baked three days ahead - store tightly at room temperature.

For the frosting: 

1. Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar, lemon zest and salt and scrape in seeds from vanilla bean.
3. Beat on low speed until mixture is very light and thickened, about 2 minutes; scrape down sides of bowl.
4. With the mixer running, add coconut cream by the tablespoonful and beat until very soft peaks form (save coconut milk for another use.)

Pile frosting on top of cake and spread to the edges (it is ok if it cascades over the sides). Decorate with flowers, bee pollen, fennel fronds and berries if desired. Enjoy!