Gingerbread Cake

3/4 cup/180 mL butter or margarine, softened
2 cups/480 mL sugar
4 eggs
3 cups/720 mL all-purpose flour
2 tsp/10 mL Watkins Gingerbread Spice
1-1/2 tsp/7.5 mL Watkins Baking Powder (no aluminum)
1-1/2 tsp/7.5 mL Watkins Baking Soda
3/4 tsp/4 mL Watkins Sea Salt
1-1/2 cups/360 mL buttermilk
1 tsp/5 mL Watkins Double-Strength Imitation Clear Vanilla Flavor

FROSTING:
3 egg whites
2-1/4 cups/540 mL sugar
2-1/4 tsp/11 mL light corn syrup
1/2 cup/120 mL cold water
1/4 tsp/1.2 mL Watkins Cream of Tartar
Dash Watkins Sea Salt
1-1/2 tsp/7.5 mL Watkins Double-Strength Imitation Clear Vanilla Flavor
1 cup/240 mL finely-chopped walnuts

Cooking Directions
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour and beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350°F/180°C for 25 to 30 minutes or until cakes test done. Cool in pans on rack 10 minutes. Turn out of pans onto rack and cool completely.

FROSTING:
Place egg whites and next 5 ingredients in top of double boiler (not over heat). Beat 1 minute with electric mixer to blend. Place over boiling water and cook, beating constantly, until frosting forms soft peaks, about 7 minutes. Remove from boiling water. Add white vanilla and beat until frosting forms stiff peaks. Remove 2 cups of frosting to a separate bowl. Add walnuts to this mixture; mix well. Spread between layers of cake. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting; decorate as desired.