Food By Maria

Make the cakes
1 Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease three 6 inch pans and line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. For ease of removal, you can put a long slice of parchment paper through the middle of the pans that hang over the side. Set aside.
2 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the honey, all of the brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cardamom and salt until well combined and smooth.
3 To the wet ingredients add all of the flour, baking powder and baking soda and whisk together well until combined and smooth.
4 Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared pans and gently tap the pans on the counter to release any air bubbles. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the tops of the cake batter.
5 Bake the cakes until puffed and golden brown, about 20-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6 Set the pans on a cooling rack to cool for 15-20 minutes before running a knife around the edges and then remove the cakes from the pans to cool completely on the cooling rack. Cakes must be fully cool before frosting and assembling.
Make the icing
8 Once the cakes are fully cooled, make the icing. Using a hand mixer with the whisk attachment or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, salt, sugar and vanilla extract together for 2-3 minutes on medium-low speed, making sure the sugar is completely dissolved before moving to the next step.
9 Then, increase the speed to high and whip for 2-3 minutes, until it looks very thick like Greek yogurt.
10 With the mixer on low, add the cream cheese about ¼ cup at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition until all of the cream cheese is incorporated.
17 Finally, whip on high speed for 3-4 minutes until smooth and fully combined.
Assemble the cake
13 For decorating, if desired, scrunch up a piece of phyllo and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400F until golden brown and crispy, about 5-10 minutes. Break into pieces and set aside.
15 Mix together the finely chopped pistachios and finely chopped walnuts and set aside.
14 Place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Using an offset spatula evenly cover the top with a third of the icing. Make a shallow divot in the center of the icing and sprinkle in a third of the pistachios-walnuts mixture.Repeat with the second cake layer with one third of the icing and one third of the pistachios-walnuts mixture. Finally add the top cake layer and decorate with the rest of the icing and sprinkle over the rest of the pistachios-walnuts mixture. Decorate with the crispy phyllo if desired on top of the cake and then drizzle honey down the sides of the cake - be creative with how you decorate!
16 Serve cake immediately.Alternatively, you can store in the fridge for a couple of hours and then remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Leftover cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.