• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
• Grease two 8 inch or 9 inch cake pans or a 9"x13" baking dish, line with parchment paper and set aside for now

Make the cake...

• Combine 8 tablespoons of room temperature butter and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil in a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer to mix on medium speed until completely combined
• Add 1 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and continue mixing on medium speed until the mixture is thick and develops a pale yellow color
• Add 4 large eggs and a tablespoon of vanilla extract and mix on medium high speed until the mixture is fluffy and full of air bubbles
• Sift 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves and a pinch of black pepper into the bowl and mix until just combined
• Add 1 1/4 cup of whole milk and mix until just incorporated (tiny lumps are ok! Do not over mix this batter)
• Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans
• Bake in a 325 degree oven for 26-30 minutes or until a toothpick will come out of the center of the cake clean
• Transfer the cake pans onto a heat proof surface and let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes before transferring them out of the pans and onto a cooling rack to cool fully before frosting

Make the frosting...

• In a large bowl, whip 1 cup of room temperature butter with 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until creamy
• Add 1 cup of confectioners sugar along with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, a pinch of cardamom, nutmeg and salt and mix until fully combined
• Continue adding confectioners sugar until you achieve the consistency and level of sweetness you prefer

Assemble the cake...

• Once the cakes are fully cooled, add the frosting
• Layer and decorate as desired
• Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator