Spice cake recipe & Coffee
Go straight to the Sour cream and spice cake recipe
Sour cream and spice cake recipe is one of the recipes which has been always baked by my husband. It's been one of his favorite cake recipes for years and quite honestly we are never fed up with it. How could we possibly be, this cake is so delicious. The biggest secret of this yummy spice cake is that in a day or two it tastes even better than on the day it was baked. The tricky bit for us is that it is close to impossible to keep it that long and if you want to try this yourself better lock it in the deepest and darkest place in your kitchen where nobody can find it.
Sour cream and spice cake tastes fantastic just by itself but in combination with a yummy cup of coffee you reach levels beyond all expectations. In my opinion there is rarely any other cake that would match coffee so well as this one. Spice cake recipe is therefore a definitive must in my kitchen.
Where is the secret?
The secret of this cake recipe probably lies in numerous different spices that are mixed in the cake batter. The taste of nutmeg, cinnamon, all spice, cardamom and vanilla extract make this sour cream and spice cake an almost perfect companion to coffee.
There are also other benefits of course. For instance, many spices used in this spice cake recipe contain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that help protect against many diseases.
Having a quick look at this spice cake recipe you will notice many ingredients and your first impression might be that it is terribly complicated to make it. Don't worry, it's just the impression. The reality is quite opposite and that's perhaps one of the reasons my husband loves this cake recipe.
Sour cream and spice cake recipe:
Serves: 8
Baking time: 1h 10 minutes
Preparation time: 10-21 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 tsp of cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 200g butter at room temperature
- 245g granulated sugar
- 30g granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 cups or 325g all purpose flour (self raising flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 250ml sour cream
- 40g ground almonds
- 40g chopped almonds
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 9x5x3 inch loaf pan
Method:
- Heat fan oven to 325 degrees F- 160 degrees C (20C higher for ordinary ovens). Grease the pan and line with foil, letting it hang over the sides. Grease the foil. Grind the cardamom seeds with the sharp knife.
- Mix the spices in a cup. Mix 1/4 teaspoon of the spice mixture with 30g of the sugar, and set aside to use for topping.
- Beat the butter and sugar (245g) and the vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed, until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition at low speed.
- Keep the mixer speed to low. Stir in the sour cream, the remaining spice mixture, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the almonds.
- With the mixer still on low, stir in the flour just until incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the set aside sugar-spice mixture over the top. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Lift the cake from the pan by the foil. Let it cool completely on a wire rack. Remove the foil. You may also wish to leave it wrapped in the foil overnight - it will taste even better.
Use this handy conversion calculator
Method (step by step):
STEP 1:
Preheat the oven to to 170C fan/190C/375F/gas mark 5. Brush a 10inch cake pan (25cm) with oil and line the base with baking paper.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy.
STEP 2:
Add 1tsp of vanilla extract.
STEP 3:
Add 2 whole large eggs + 1 egg yolk from the third egg. Safe the egg whites from this egg.
STEP 4:
Gently mix together all the ingredients.
STEP 5:
Puree 90g of raspberries.
STEP 6:
Add raspberry mix and 150g of plain yogurt to the egg & sugar mixture...
STEP 7:
...and mix together.
STEP 8:
Sift together 175g of self raising flour and 60g of cocoa. Add both to raspberry-egg-sugar mixture and stir well.
Our coffee choice for sour cream & spice cake recipe:
Cappuccino
Espresso
Cafe latte
Turkish coffee
* all combinations have been tested with medium roast Arabica blend
Why is Turkish coffee the ultimate winner?
Spices are the answer. That is why it is called spice cake recipe. Pairing all spices with the taste of Turkish coffee make this combination stand out. The both tastes are perfectly balanced, but the unique coffee flavor gives the spice cake more personality. Espresso may be a good replacement but it is stronger than Turkish coffee and may thus overwhelm the spices.
Useful baking tips
- I have learned so far that children usually don't like spice cakes, but I can say that this yummy cake is an exception and all the kids that we know love it.
- If you take eggs straight from the fridge you need to warm them up to a room temperature so place them in a pot, slowly pour in freshly boiled water and leave to stand for 5 seconds (this way you achieve room temperature quick and easy way).
- Make sure you beat well after adding each egg (do not rush adding all eggs at once!)
- Butter needs to be at room temperature and soft to avoid making a mess in the kitchen.
Good to know
- A spice is a dried root, seed, fruit, bark or leaf.
- Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves were among the most luxurious products in Middle Ages.
- Cloves are rich in minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, and vitamin A and vitamin C.
- Ginger is a medicinal and culinary herb. It can help to relieve digestive problems. It is excellent for reducing gas. It can be effective in treating nausea, morning and motion sickness and can also help to reduce inflammation.
- Allspice is the dried, unripe berry of allspice tree. The allspice is grown in Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.
- Allspice is a mild anaesthetic and its warming effect could be remedy for arthritis and sore muscles.
- Cinnamon is one of the oldest known spices. The bark of the cinnamon tree is dried and rolled into cinnamon sticks. It could be also ground into powder. Cinnamon grows in Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Brazil, Egypt, India.
- Cardamom stimulates digestive system and reduces gas. It could be beneficial to the urinary tract and more.
- Coriander is highly beneficial in treating digestive disorders. Drinking coriander water helps lower blood cholesterol and more.
