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Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until thick and doubled in volume, about 4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

Scrape down and remove the beaters. First, fold in the flour mixture gently with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Then fold in the ground walnuts in slow, even arcs. Finally, fold in the melted butter.

Scrape the batter evenly into the two pans. Rap them a few times against your work surface to knock out any air pockets.

Bake until set but still a little soft and spongy, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting with the Spiced Buttercream.

To cool and unmold: Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes, then unmold the cakes by running a knife around the pan’s inner edge, inverting them onto a cutting board, removing the baking pans, and reinverting the cakes onto the wire rack.

To store: Do not ice. Wrap the layers individually in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days.

To ice:.

Note: Grind the walnuts in a food processor fitted with the chopping blade until they are the consistency of coarse, dried bread crumbs.

Spiced Buttercream

Makes enough frosting for a two-layer cake

1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Beat the egg, egg yolks, and salt in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until very creamy and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Mix the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan, clip a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan, and set it over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then continue cooking without disturbing until the temperature reaches 250°F. Remove from the heat; remove the thermometer.

Beat the egg yolks a few turns to make sure they’re very fluffy, then begin adding the sugar syrup in a very slow, steady drizzle, with the beaters running at medium speed. Once all the sugar syrup has been added, continue beating until cool, about 10 minutes.

Beat in the butter, about 2 tablespoons at a time.

Once all the butter has been added, continue beating until thick and frostinglike, about 10 minutes. Beat in the cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and cloves.

You can also frost the Mexican Wedding Layer Cake:

Seven-Minute Frosting

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

Chocolate Mousse Frosting

Vanilla Buttercream: Omit the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; increase the vanilla to 1 tablespoon. If desired, also beat in the seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean.

Mint Buttercream: Omit the cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and cloves; beat in ½ teaspoon mint extract and a few drops of green food coloring in their stead.

Whoopie Pie Layer Cake with Italian Meringue Icing

Here’s a reinvention of a Southern favorite: a chocolate layer cake with a fluffy, marshmallowy filling. Makes one 9-inch two-layer cake

½ cup solid vegetable shortening, plus additional for greasing the pans

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour, plus additional for dusting the pans

2 tablespoons sifted unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1½ cups sugar

2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)

Italian Meringue Icing

Confectioners’ sugar for garnish

Place the shortening and chocolate in the top half of a double boiler set over about 1 inch of simmering water. Alternatively, place the shortening and chocolate in a medium bowl that will fit snugly over a medium saucepan with about the same amount of simmering water in it. Adjust the heat so the water simmers slowly and does not boil. Stir until half