French four spice cake with browned butter spice frosting

Ingredients

Cake:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• Zest of ½ orange
• 2 large eggs
• 11/3 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons . unsweetened cocoa
• 2 teaspoons. quatre épices
• 1 teaspoon . baking powder
• ½ teaspoon . each baking soda and salt
• ½ cup buttermilk

Frosting:

• 2/3 cup butter
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon . quatre épices
• 2 tablespoons . half-and-half
• 1½ tablespoons . lemon juice
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts

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Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9-in. square pan.
• Make cake: Beat butter, brown sugar, and zest in a large bowl with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well blended. In another bowl, combine flour and other dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to butter mixture one-third at a time, alternating with buttermilk half at a time, and beating on low speed after each addition until blended. Spread batter in pan.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a rack, 10 minutes. Loosen cake from pan with a slender spatula, then invert onto a rack. Re-invert onto another rack; cool completely.
• Make frosting: Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, swirling pan occasionally, until deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into a mixer bowl, let cool, then chill until firm enough to beat, about 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except for nuts and beat until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, occasionally scraping inside of bowl.
• Split cake horizontally with a long serrated knife. Lift off top layer with 2 wide spatulas. Set bottom layer on a platter, then spread with half of frosting.
• Replace top layer. Spread top of cake with remaining frosting, then sprinkle with nuts.