Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS 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.

BUILD A CAKE WITH THE RIGHT HEFT All-purpose flour, rather than cake flour, adds structure to our cake, while butter and eggs add richness.

BLOOM THE SPICES Adding spices raw to the cake batter isn’t enough for warm spice flavor. We bloom the spices in butter to intensify their aromas and give the cake a heightened spice impact throughout. We use the classic mixture of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, allspice, and nutmeg, but add a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger and a couple of tablespoons of molasses to give the cake an extra zing.

ENRICH THE FROSTING WITH SPICES TOO Reserving a little of the spice mixture to add to the cream cheese frosting adds extra spice flavor and unites the frosting and the cake.