Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8 inch or four 6 inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, place parchment rounds in each pan and spray again. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together 3/4 cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and additional cinnamon. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the flour and buttermilk alternately, starting and ending with the flour mixture and scraping the bowl as needed. Pour about 10 oz. of the batter in each 8-inch pan or 8 ounces in each 6-inch pans. Divide the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture between the cakes (about 2 to 3 oz.), sprinkling evenly over the batter, then top with the remaining batter (about 10 oz. more per 8-inch pan or 8 oz in each 6-inch pan).
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Remember, not all ovens are the same, so check your cakes around 25 minutes and keep an eye on them.
Remove cakes from the oven and let cool in pans for about 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled completely, wrap each cake layer with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to two weeks. Let thaw for an hour before stacking and decorating.