The problem with spice cakes? Spice. Some variations suffer spice overload, which makes them gritty and dusty. Others are so lacking in spice flavor that it seems as if a cinnamon stick has only been waved in their general direction. We wanted an old-fashioned, moist, and substantial spice cake with spices that were warm and bold without being overpowering, and a rich, but complementary cream cheese frosting.We needed a less-than-tender cake, one with a substantial and open crumb that could stand up to the spices. We found that all-purpose flour, rather than cake flour, added volume and heft. Butter and eggs added richness. Simply adding more spices didn’t lead to increased spiciness; the spices simply smelled stronger than they tasted. Therefore, we needed to bloom the spices in butter, a process that intensified their aromas and gave the cake a heightened spice impact throughout. We used the classic mixture of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, allspice, and nutmeg, but found that a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger and a couple of tablespoons of molasses gave the cake an extra zing. And reserving a little of the spice mixture to add to the cream cheese frosting united the frosting and the cake.
Notes
To save time, let the eggs, buttermilk, and butter come up to temperature while the browned butter and spice mixture cools. To prevent unsightly air holes in the finished cake, be sure to follow the instructions for removing air bubbles in the batter (see illustrations below). Leftover cake can be stored, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The cake should be brought to room temperature before serving.
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
Spice Mixture
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dry Ingredients
- 11 ¼ ounces unbleached all-purpose flour - 2 ¼ cups, plus extra for dusting pans
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs - at room temperature
- 3 large egg yolks - at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Creaming Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter - 16 tablespoons, softened
- 12 ¼ ounces granulated sugar - 1 ¾ cups
Remaining Batter Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons light or mild molasses
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger - grated
- 1 cup buttermilk - at room temperature
Frosting Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter - cut into 5 pieces, softened
- 4 ½ ounces confectioners' sugar - 1 ¼ cups
- 8 ounces cream cheese - cut into 4 pieces , softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts - toasted (optional)
Instructions
For the Cake
Pre-heat the oven & prepare the baking dish
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
Bloom the spices
- Combine the spices in a small bowl; reserve ½ teaspoon of spice mixture for frosting.
- Heat 4 tablespoons butter in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is light brown and has a faint nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Add the spices and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 15 seconds.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Combine wet & dry ingredients
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a small bowl, gently whisk eggs, yolks, and vanilla to combine.
Cream butter & sugar
- In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream remaining 12 tablespoons butter with sugar and molasses at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl twice with a rubber spatula.
- Reduce to medium speed and add cooled butter and spice mixture, ginger, and half of the egg mixture; mix until incorporated, about 15 seconds.
- Repeat with the remaining egg mixture; scrape down the bowl again.
Make the batter
- Reduce to low speed; add about one-third flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk, mixing until just incorporated after each addition, about 5 seconds.
- Repeat using half of the remaining flour mixture and all of the remaining buttermilk.
- Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold batter once or twice with a rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.
Transfer the batter
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
- Zigzag the tip of a metal spatula through the batter, pulling it to pan edges.
- Lightly tap the pan against the counter 3 or 4 times to dislodge any large air bubbles.
- Smooth the surface of the batter with the spatula.
Bake
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of the cake comes out clean, 32 to 37 minutes.
- Cool the cake to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours.
For the Frosting
Whip the frosting
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and reserved ½ teaspoon spice mixture at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add cream cheese one piece at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
- Add vanilla and beat until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds.
Frost & serve
- Run a paring knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan.
- Using a spatula, spread the frosting evenly over the surface of the cake.
- Sprinkle cake with walnuts, if using.
- Cut into squares and serve.