For the Cake Batter:

1. Set your oven to 325°F.  It’s highly recommended to use an oven thermometer for baking, since ovens themselves are often inaccurate when it comes to temperature.
2. Soft together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the buttermilk and pumpkin puree in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
4. Place room temperature butter into a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer) and mix by itself on medium speed until smooth.
5. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add sugar to the smooth butter.
6. Mix on medium speed for 3-10 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl every 1-2 minutes, until the butter/sugar mixture is light and fluffy.  For more on how to properly cream butter and sugar (one of the most important steps!), click here.
7. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl after the third egg and the last egg.
8. Add vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
9. With the mixer on low speed, gently add half of the flour mixture.  Mix until almost combined, with a few streaks of flour remaining.
10. With the mixer off, add all of the pumpkin puree/buttermilk mixture at one time.  Mix until just combined.
11. Add the rest of the flour, again mixing until combined (or until you see no more streaks of butter in the mixture).  There may be just a few streaks of flour remaining.  (See photo above.)
12. Remove the mixer from the bowl and finish mixing the recipe by hand by scraping the sides and bottom with a silicone spatula and doing a final mix (about 10-15 turns).  
13. Prep your 10-cup bundt pan using the reserved, softened butter and flour.  
14. Put batter into the prepare pan and bake at 325°F for 70-80 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out completely clean.  Alternatively, you can check with an instant-read thermometer.  The cake will be done when the internal temperature reaches 210°F to 215°F.
15. After removing the cake from the oven, place on top of a cooling rack for ten minutes while you make the simple syrup.

For the Simple Syrup:

1. Combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan.
2. Heat on medium-high heat until mixture is boiling.  Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Remove from heat immediately once the sugar is completely dissolved.  Use a pastry brush to brush simple syrup on the whole cake.  Allow to cool completely (3-5 hours).

For the Final Glaze:

1. Combine maple syrup, maple extract, confectioner’s sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.  
2. Stir gently with a small whisk until smooth.
3. Using a squeeze bottle or spouted measuring cup, pour the glaze over the inside and outside of the cake.  Some of the glaze will spill over the sides.  
4. Allow the glaze to set up for 15-20 minutes and enjoy!