Maple Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Cake
3 3/4 cups self-rising flour (Self-Rising Flour)
1/2 teaspoon ginger
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
3/4 cup hot water
Original Frosting
2 egg whites
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 -2 tablespoon maple extract
2 -3 cups powdered sugar
Garnish
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and lightly flour (I use Recipe #78579) two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and the ginger and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well combined.
Beat in the maple syrup gradually.
Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the water, beating after each addition until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans; prepare a hot water bath to be placed on the rack underneath the cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cake tests done (the toothpick test).
Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
To make the original frosting: In the top of a double boiler, combine first five ingredients. Cook over boiling water, beating constantly on the medium-high speed of an electric mixer, until mixture stands in peaks (about 5-7 minutes). Remove the pot from heat. Add the vanilla and the maple extracts and continue beating 1 minute more until thick enough to spread.
To make the buttercream frosting: mix butter, extract and syrup till smooth. Add powdered sugar (a few tablespoons at a time), beating on high speed (my handmixer has three speeds) till frosting reaches desired consistency.
When cake has cooled, ice between the layers. Ice top and sides of cake, sprinkling the top with chopped walnuts.