Description
Spice cake with eggnog buttercream brings winter holiday warmth to dessert tables with rich, comforting flavors. Fragrant cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger mingle beautifully with creamy eggnog frosting, creating a festive treat that welcomes you home.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients:
- 3 cups (710 ml) all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened applesauce
Spice Blend:
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Flavor Enhancer:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and prepare three 8-inch cake pans with grease and parchment paper.
- Combine flour, leavening agents, salt, and warm spices in a mixing bowl, thoroughly blending the dry components.
- Cream butter with granulated and brown sugars until light and airy, using an electric mixer for optimal texture.
- Incorporate eggs individually into the butter mixture, ensuring complete integration after each addition, then mix in vanilla extract.
- Gently fold dry ingredients and buttermilk into the butter mixture, alternating between the two. Add applesauce and mix until just combined.
- Distribute batter evenly across prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes, checking doneness with a toothpick. Allow cakes to rest in pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Prepare buttercream by whipping butter until smooth, gradually introducing powdered sugar, eggnog, vanilla, and a hint of nutmeg until achieving a silky consistency.
- Construct the cake by layering each cake round with buttercream, creating a delicate stack with minimal frosting on the exterior.
- Enhance presentation by adorning the top with festive elements like cranberries, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and rosemary sprigs, then dust with a light snowfall of powdered sugar.
Notes
- Achieve the perfect texture by ensuring all ingredients are at room temperature before mixing, which helps create a smoother, more evenly blended batter.
- Substitute buttermilk with a mix of milk and vinegar if you don’t have it on hand, using 1 tablespoon of vinegar per cup of milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
- Modify for gluten-free diets by replacing all-purpose flour with a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend, maintaining the same measurements and mixing technique.
- Reduce sugar content by using alternative sweeteners like monk fruit or stevia, adjusting the quantity to maintain the cake’s moisture and desired sweetness level.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 27 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg