Spice Cake with Brown Butter (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Spice Cake
01 -
2 3/4 cups (350g) all purpose flour
02 -
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
03 -
1 tsp baking soda
04 -
1/2 tsp salt
05 -
1 tbsp cinnamon
06 -
1 tsp cardamom
07 -
1 tsp ginger
08 -
1/2 tsp nutmeg
09 -
1/4 tsp cloves
10 -
2 cups (380g) light brown sugar, packed
11 -
1 cup (200ml) vegetable or canola oil
12 -
1 cup (235g) unsweetened apple sauce
13 -
4 large eggs, room temperature
14 -
3 tsp vanilla extract
15 -
3/4 cup (200g) sour cream, room temperature
→ Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
16 -
1 cup (220g) unsalted butter
17 -
16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
18 -
5 cups (600g) powdered sugar
19 -
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
→ Decorations
20 -
Cinnamon sticks
21 -
Candied nuts (half recipe)
# Instructions:
01 -
Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by coating with nonstick spray and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. If you have cake strips, wrap them around the pans.
02 -
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves).
03 -
In a large mixing bowl, mix the brown sugar, oil, and apple sauce until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla.
04 -
Mix in half of the dry ingredients until combined. Add the sour cream, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. The batter should be fairly thin.
05 -
Divide the batter between the prepared pans, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
06 -
While cakes bake, brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until amber colored. Chill until firm but spreadable.
07 -
Mix the browned butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla until desired consistency is reached.
08 -
Once cakes are completely cool, level tops and split each into two layers. Stack with frosting between layers, then crumb coat the entire cake. Chill 20-30 minutes, then apply final frosting layer and decorations.
# Notes:
01 -
You can also bake this in three 6-inch pans or two 9-inch pans, adjusting baking time accordingly.
02 -
If you don't have cardamom, substitute with an extra 1/4 tsp each of cinnamon and ginger, or use pumpkin pie spice.