Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line and grease two 6 inch cake pans. “Dust” the sides and bottom of the pans with granulated sugar.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until smooth.

Fold the dry ingredients into the butter and egg mixture. Add the sour cream and milk and stir until batter is smooth.

Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. drop from about 2inches onto the counter to get the air bubbles out. smooth out the tops.

Bake cakes on the lower rack for about 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 5 minutes, then invert cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap with plastic wrap and stick in the freezer.

While the cakes are baking, brown the butter. Place unsalted butter in a small saucepan on medium heat and stir until it melts completely. Continue cooking, stirring frequently until the milk solids turn brown and the butter smells nutty, about 5-10 minuter longer. Scrape the melted butter and browned bits into a small bowl and chill.

remove the cakes from the freezer. unwrap, and use a bread knife to level off the tops.

make the frosting: beat the butter until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the cinnamon, powdered sugar and salt and beat until completely smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add milk and beat until frosting is smooth. transfer into a pastry bag.

make the cream cheese drizzle: Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add milk to desired consistency.

assemble and frost cake: put the 6 inch cardboard circle down on a turntable. put a small dollop of frosting down on the middle to glue the bottom layer on. squeeze about ⅓ of the frosting on top of the bottom layer, smooth out. put the second layer bottom side up, and squeeze ⅓ of the frosting on the sides and top, smooth out. using a bench scraper, smooth out the sides and top to desired naked-ness. Pour or spoon the cream cheese drizzle over the top, creating a drip effect on the sides if you want. Dust with cinnamon.