This is the recipe I used, but I made some slight adjustments of my own based on my own supplies and taste. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Moist-.....er-Spice-Cake/

***If you want to save time, make sure you have all of the ingredients and supplies that you need or want before starting to make this recipe, then preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.***

I started by mixing all of the dry ingredients, 2 1/2 cups of white flour (though unbleached flour is good, too), 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 1 1/2 cups of light brown sugar, 1/2 cup white table sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 4 teaspoons of baking powder. (I ran out of brown sugar so I substituted in a bit of white sugar.)

Then I added the spices. 2 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of nutmeg, 2 teaspoons of ginger, 1 teaspoon of allspice, and 1 teaspoon of cloves. All of the spices are ground, and I added more spice than the original recipe called for because I like to add more flavor to my cakes and give it some kick. If you don't like very much seasoning, it might be advisable to actually reduce the amount of spice put into the cake, or removing one or two of the spices all together.

Then I mixed in the wet ingredients, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of melted margarine (I didn't have enough butter), 3 whole eggs (minus the egg shells, of course), and 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Again, I added an extra teaspoon because I like more potent flavoring.

Mix all of the ingredients well until your batter is a nice, even, creamy consistency (which is par for the course in most cake recipes). Set this aside for the moment.

Grease or use cooking spray on a 9 inch by 13 inch pan and lightly dust some flour into the surfaces to prevent sticking. Do not forget this step! I've had cake burn to the surface of a pan in the past before and it is really depressing... and is a #@%& to clean. Once the pan is sufficiently coated, pour/scoop in the cake batter into the pan.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit if you haven't done this already. Once the oven is pre-heated, place the pan into the oven in the center shelf and let it bake for about 40 minutes, as the recipe states. As is common, depending on your oven you may need to leave the cake in longer or take it out sooner, so be sure to start checking the cake at least by the 35 minute mark. A tooth-pick or other narrow kitchen utensil can be used to poke into the cake to determine if it is finished baking. If it comes out clean (no cake batter sticks to the toothpick), the cake is done!

Let it cool, and then either dust it with powdered sugar or frost it to your preference. I just used a store-bought cream cheese frosting.

Enjoy! :D

(PS: You may want to consider taking out 1/2 cup of flour if you want a lighter, fluffier cake. I haven't tried this myself, but the next time I make the cake I plan to.)