Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch or four 6-inch pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment and spray again. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.

Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

Once mixed, evenly divide all of the batter into the prepared pans (about 15 to 16 ounces in each 8-inch pan or 12 ounces in each 6-inch pan).

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, checking around 20 minutes. When you insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, a few moist crumbs should come out on it. Remember, the cake continues to bake for 5 minutes as it cools in the pans.

Cool on a wire rack before de-panning.

Remember to mix the frosting by hand with a wooden spoon or large spatula to push out the air to create a silky-smooth frosting.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the flour and 1/2 cup of the milk until smooth.

Set over medium-high heat and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly hot, stirring frequently.

Whisk in remaining milk and salt. Whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of unset pudding (this can take up to 10 minutes).

Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a shallow dish. Cover the surface of the mixture with plastic wrap

Place in the refrigerator until cool for at least an hour.

When cool, the mixture will be thick like custard. If a film formed on top of the mixture, remove it from the bowl.

In a large bowl (or a bowl of a stand mixer) beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add vanilla and mix well. Beat in cooled flour mixture one tablespoon at a time on medium-high speed. When all the flour mixture is added, beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.

Rub a little frosting between your fingers. If the sugar granules remain, beat for 4 more minutes, or until granules cannot be detected with fingers.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition.

Add the molasses and stir until well combined.

Stir in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated. Batter will be a little sticky.

Bake the cookie layers for 15-17 minutes. Keep an eye on the cookie layers. You don't want to over bake the cookie or it will be too hard to cut with the cake.