Spice cake is tender layer cake warmly spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and allspice with an old-fashioned fluffy brown sugar boiled frosting.
Spice Cake and Fluffy Brown Sugar Boiled Frosting
Spice cake is as old as time – in my vintage recipe collection alone, I found so many versions of spice cake! The most spice cake recipes I found were from 1930’s and 40’s cookbooks, a time when spice cakes seemed to be one of the most popular cake flavors. One 1930’s cookbook even had an entire spice cake section, with coffee, molasses, oatmeal and applesauce variations. Many spice cakes had similar spice profiles, with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice common. While this cake flavor may not be as popular today as it once was, it still remains a classic cake, especially in the fall and winter months.
The frosting on this cake is a fluffy brown sugar frosting, which is a type of old-fashioned boiled frosting. This frosting and similar variations have other names in vintage cookbooks, including seafoam frosting, boiled brown sugar frosting and Felicity frosting. The boiled frosting is made by cooking a sugar mixture on the stovetop and then it is drizzled into egg whites and whipped until fluffy. This frosting is very similar to seven minute frosting but uses brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, making for a great pairing for spice cake.
How to Make this Recipe
This spice cake has tender cake layers warmly spiced with cinnamon, cloves and allspice with an old-fashioned fluffy brown sugar boiled frosting. The recipe for this spice cake uses common ingredients you probably already have in your pantry:
Ingredients for the cake
- cake flour
- baking soda
- salt
- allspice
- ground cloves
- ground cinnamon
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- dark brown sugar
- large eggs
- buttermilk
Ingredients for the boiled frosting
- dark brown sugar
- egg whites
- cream of tartar
- salt
- water
- light corn syrup
- vanilla extract
To make the cake layers, the dry ingredients are sifted together fist. The butter and sugars are creamed using a mixer and then the eggs are added. The dry ingredients and buttermilk are added alternately and then the batter is poured into 2-9″ cake pans before baking at 350°F for 30-35 minutes. Once the cake layers have cooled, they can be frosted.
To make the boiled frosting, the brown sugar, cream of tartar, salt, water and light corn syrup are cooked in a double boiler until the sugar has dissolved. The mixture should not be grainy if you rub a small amount between your fingers. If it is, that means the sugar has not dissolved and it needs to cook longer; the frosting will not set up properly otherwise.
Once the sugar has dissolved, the egg whites are placed in a large mixing bowl and the sugar mixture is poured in. Then, it is beaten until light and fluffy, around six to seven minutes. Lastly, the vanilla is added and the frosting needs to be used immediately to frost the cake layers. While this frosting is best the day it is made, see tips below for storage.
Tips for Spice Cake with Fluffy Brown Sugar Boiled Frosting
- The cake layers can be made in advance; store sealed in the refrigerator or freezer. If freezing cake layers, thaw in refrigerator before frosting.
- The boiled frosting is best the day it is made. If storing the cake after frosting it, it will keep up to 3 days. Keep refrigerated (a crust will form on the frosting)
- Cooking the meringue mixture over a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved is an essential step!
- Do not use pasteurized egg whites (in a carton) for the boiled frosting; it will not set up properly
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Spice Cake with Fluffy Brown Sugar Boiled Frosting
Equipment
- 9" round cake pans
- parchment paper
- double boiler
- mixer
- mixing bowls of various sizes
Ingredients
For the cake
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature
For the boiled frosting
- 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake
- Line 2 -9" round cake pans with parchment paper and grease well.
- Sift the 3 cups cake flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon allspice, 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves and 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
- Using a mixer, cream the 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup dark brown sugar, until light, around 3 minutes.
- Add 3 large eggs, one at time.
- Add in the dry ingredients alternately with the 1 1/4 cups buttermilk, in three separate batches, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake at 350° F for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 15-20 minutes before carefully removing from cake pans and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
For the frosting
- In a double boiler, bring 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, pinch of salt, 1/3 cup water and 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup to a boil.
- Cook until the sugar dissolves (test by rubbing a small amount between your fingers; it should not feel grainy).
- Place the 2 large egg whites, room temperature, in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer; slowly pour in hot sugar mixture.
- Using mixer, beat on high until of spreading consistency, around 6-7 minutes.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in last; frost cake immediately.
Notes
- The frosting is best eaten the day it is made; store leftovers up to 3 days (frosting will form a crust)
- Cake layers can be made in advance if sealed well; refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 45 . If freezing, thaw cake layers in refrigerator before frosting.
- Pasteurized egg white product (in a carton) does not work well for this recipe.
- Makes 12 large slices or 16 smaller slices