Classic Spice Cake
This is a dense, fragrant sponge relying on a heavy hand with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, finished with a simple brown sugar crumb or a thin glaze. The secret is to cream the butter and sugars until they are pale and airy, then fold in the dry ingredients gently so the crumb remains tender rather than tough.
Bring your temperature to room heat.
Eggs and butter must be soft and room-temperature to emulsify properly; if they are cold, the batter will break and the cake will come out dense.
- 9-inch round cake pan
- Electric hand mixer
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Large mixing bowl
What goes in.
- 1.5 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 tspbaking powder
- 0.5 tspbaking soda
- 1.5 tspground cinnamon
- 0.75 tspground ginger
- 0.5 tspground cloves
- 0.5 tspsalt
- 0.5 cupunsalted butter, softened
- 0.5 cupgranulated sugar
- 0.5 cuppacked dark brown sugar
- 2large eggs
- 0.5 cupbuttermilk
Creaming the butter and sugar
Beat the butter and sugars on high for at least five minutes until the mixture turns pale beige and feels gritty no longer; this is the only lift your cake will have.
The method.
Prep the oven and pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter and flour your cake pan, tapping out the excess so only a thin veil remains.
Sift the dry goods
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt through a sieve into a bowl to remove any lumps.
Cream
Using your mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until the volume increases and the texture is fluffy.
Emulsify
Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each to ensure they are fully incorporated into the fats.
Combine
Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk. Stop mixing as soon as the last streak of flour vanishes.
Bake
Pour into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a tester comes out with a few damp crumbs attached.
Other turns to take.
Apple Infusion
Fold in one cup of finely diced, peeled tart apples before pouring the batter into the pan.
Nutty Crunch
Add a half-cup of toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans to the dry ingredients.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use dark brown sugar rather than light for a deeper, molasses-heavy flavor.
Do not overbake; spice cakes dry out faster than plain yellow cakes.
If the top browns too quickly, cover it loosely with a sheet of foil for the final ten minutes.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use milk instead of buttermilk?
Buttermilk provides the acidity needed to react with the baking soda for a proper rise; if you lack it, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to regular milk and let it sit for ten minutes.
Why did my cake sink in the middle?
Usually, this means the oven was opened too early or the oven temperature is calibrated lower than it reads.