Maple-Pecan Layer Cake With Gingerbread Frosting

For every holiday dinner, the task of creating one show-stopping grand finale of a dessert falls on me, and it seems as though the cakes get bigger and taller with each passing year. This is one behemoth of a baked good that is guaranteed to draw oohs and ahs from any crowd: three layers of maple cake studded with copious amounts of toasted pecans, smothered in a spicy gingerbread frosting and crowned with even more pecans. Definitely a luxurious number that only comes out once a year at mo