Coat the insides of your cake pans with butter and flour. Tap out any excess flour over the sink or garbage can. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the cocoa powder in and combine. Then, remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until dissolved.
To the saucepan mixture, add the milk and weak coffee. I usually make one cup of coffee to drink, then reuse the K-Cup for coffee in this recipe. Alternatively, use half water and half normal-strength coffee to create one cup of liquid. Stir until combined.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Add the eggs and vanilla to the saucepan mixture, whisking thoroughly. Don't let the mixture sit for too long, otherwise, the eggs could begin to cook.
Finally, slowly add the flour mixture to the saucepan, stirring gently with a spatula to combine. You may need to use a whisk to smash out some of the flour lumps, but try not to overmix the batter.
Pour the batter evenly into the three prepared cake pans. Bake them in the oven for thirty minutes. Don't open the oven during baking, otherwise, your cakes may sink. However, once the timer is done, check the cakes by inserting a toothpick into the center. If wet batter remains on the toothpick, bake the cakes for a few more minutes, checking again before removing.
Let the cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack for five to ten minutes. Then, turn them out to continue cooling. Make sure the cakes have fully reached room temperature before stacking and frosting.
Graham Cracker Crust
In a food processor or a plastic bag, crush the graham crackers to a fine consistency.
Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar, butter, and salt.
Line two of the eight-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Leave some extra parchment paper over the edges to use as "handles" for easy removing later on.
Divide the graham cracker mixture among the two lined cake pans. With a bar muddler or the back of a spoon, press the mixture down until it's smooth and even.
Bake the graham cracker crusts in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden browned on top.
Let the graham cracker crusts cool in the pans until you're ready to stack the cakes. Use the extra parchment paper around the edges to gently and evenly lift out the crust from the pan.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar, cup by cup, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition.
Finally, mix the vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg into the cream cheese mixture.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter together. Add the powdered sugar, cup by cup, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition.
To the buttercream mixture, add the vanilla, cream, and salt.
Stacking The Cake
Use your cake leveler to cut off any domed part of the cake layers.
Start, first, with a layer of cake. Place one of the graham cracker crusts on top, and then use the crusting buttercream to make a ring around the edge. This will make a "dam" to keep the cheesecake filling inside. Pipe or spread a generous amount of filling inside the dam. Then, repeat the process again, ending with the final layer of cake on top.
Apply a layer of crusting buttercream to the outside and top of the cake. Use your cake scraper to smooth the frosting, holding the scraper at a tight, close angle to the side of the cake. Once the crumb-coat is smooth, place the cake in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, or until the buttercream has hardened to the touch.
Set about a cup of the buttercream aside for later, and dye the rest a nice, sky blue color. Apply this sky blue buttercream to the outside of the cake, and smooth it out again. Because of the cream cheese filling, you'll need to store the cake in the refrigerator until you're ready to add the final touches. Add the fondant decorations close to the serving of the cake, as fondant can get a little mushy/wet in the refrigerator.