Cottage Spice Cake

Ingredients:
Cake Ingredients:
115g (4 ounces) butter
425g (15 ounces) brown sugar
2 large eggs
500 mL (2 cups) buttermilk
10 mL (2 tsp) pure vanilla extract
10 mL (2 tsp) baking soda
360g (13 ounces) all-purpose flour
5 mL (1 tsp) cinnamon
2 mL (½ tsp) ginger
2 mL (½ tsp) nutmeg

Topping Ingredients:
85g (3 ounces) melted butter
200g (7 ounces) brown sugar
5 mL (1 tsp) cinnamon
60 mL (¼ cup) milk
80g (3 ounces) diced pecans or walnuts


Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. (180ºC)
Grease a 9" x 13" cake dish.
Cream the butter and brown sugar together.
Add the eggs, one at a time beating until smooth.
Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Whisk together the dry ingredients; then mix into the wet ingredients
until combined.
Scrape the batter into the greased dish.
Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool on a rack in the pan.
Let the cake cool at least a little before serving - serve directly from the dish.
Optional:
While the cake is baking, prepare the topping - if you want it.
Stir together the butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
Stir in the milk.
At the 45 minute mark spread the topping and nuts on the baked cake.
Return to the oven for 15 more minutes.