We love, love, love this spice cake!
Thanks to the souring process, it even packs a nutritional punchā¦ And this is a cake weāre talking about! š
Pair it with our lovely cream cheese frosting or coconut cream frosting.
I prefer to use whole wheat flour for a hearty cake, but feel free to use whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour instead for a lighter texture.
Sourdough Spice Cake
This recipe is included in our Sourdough A to Z eBook and/or demonstrated on video in our Sourdough eCourse.
Pair it with our lovely cream cheese frosting or coconut cream frosting.
Ingredients
Souring
- 1 cup sourdough starter fed, active, domed and bubbly
- 2 cups whole wheat flour whole wheat pastry flour, or spelt flour
- 3/4 cup raw whole milk
Baking
- 1 cup coconut oil or grass-fed butter, softened
- 3 organic or pastured eggs
- 1 cup Rapadura or palm sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Souring
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Combine active sourdough starter, flour, and milk in a medium-sized bowl.
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Mix until flour is wet.
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It will seem pretty dry, but make a mound of it and cover with a plate or cloth.
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Let sour for 7 to 8 hours, or overnight.
Baking
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When the souring time is over, turn on the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Grease and flour (2) 8-inch square or round cake pans.
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Then combine coconut oil, sugar and eggs in mixing bowl.
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Beat until smooth.
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Add spices and vanilla extract.
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Mix well.
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Retrieve the starter and flour mixture.
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Cut it up into chunks with a wooden spoon and add to the mixing bowl in pieces.
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Mix well.
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Add the leavenings and salt.
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Mix.
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Transfer the cake batter evenly to the cake pans.
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Spread out the batter.
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Then tap the pans repeatedly on the counter to level the batter and remove any air pockets.
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Put the pans in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
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Cakes are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
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Transfer pans to a cooling rack and turn off the oven.
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Let cool 1/2 hour.
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While the cakes are cooling, make your choice of frosting.
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I make a double batch of the cream cheese frosting if I want to layer the cakes.
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Use a butter knife to loosen the sides and tip each cake upside down on a cooling rack.
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Then let cool fully -- then transfer to a serving plate or platter.
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Frost lightly or thickly, as you desire.
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Also consider layering the cakes together.
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Finally, serve and enjoy!
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Store uneaten cake in the refrigerator.
Do you have a favorite spice cake recipe?
This post was featured in 17 Yummy Desserts Using Sourdough.
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Mmmmmmm, it looks so good. I put my starter out already.
I didn’t see the frosting recipe, did I miss the link?
Toria – Here it is:
https://traditionalcookingschool.com/2009/11/16/basic-vanilla-frosting/
I added the link to the post, too. š
This cake looks amazing. I just wondered of honey can be used instead of the raw sugar?
Yes! Use 3/4 cup honey for every cup of sugar. Reduce liquid by 1/8 cup per cup of sugar. Haven’t done it myself for this recipe, but this usually works.
This cake looks delicious. I’m definitely adding it to my list of things to make.
The new sourdough course will be wonderful. You know I love experimenting with sourdough recipes. I can’t wait to see all that you and Erin come up with (made her pancakes this morning- YUM).
Millie – Yes, I do know that! I get so inspired by you. I’m glad you’ll be joining us – and I know we’ll all learn alot from you!
Can’t wait, fun fun. Reading Erin’s posts (funny to say your own name when talking about someone else!) Got me thinking Sourdough… so I have some “wild yeast ” rye starter going I think it is working. Blessings, Erin from the Oregon coast
Hi, Erin! Wonderful! I hope to hear good things about your local starter. š
Alright, Wardee, I am going to have to get my starter out of the fridge and make sure that it isn’t dead! I love working with sourdough, but I am either makiing a ton, or fogetting about my starter. No real inbetween for me. I have really been enjoying your posts lately (but then again, I always do) and really like Erin’s contributions.
Hi, Kelli! Oh, good, I’m glad you’re getting it out – and I will pray it is still alive! If it isn’t, you can always get starter from me or Christina. Have a great day!
The cake looks luscious! I can’t wait for the sourdough course! Hope I don’t forget it!!
Joy – I hope you won’t forget either! I’ll keep mentioning it, so keep reading. Or if you’re subscribed to any of my email lists, you’ll be sure to hear. š
This recipe looks great! I’ve got two sourdoughs going right now, one whole wheat and one rye and I’ve been looking for recipes to use them. I can’t wait to try this. Thanks!
Have you found a less expensive way to buy the Artisana Coconut Butter? I’d love to know.
Thanks!
Chava – No, I haven’t. The least I’ve seen it is about $9 per jar. Once I get back into milk (goats giving birth in the next month or so), I’m going to be using my soft cheese (chevre/fromage blanc/cream cheese) to make a cream cheese frosting.
Another frosting idea is the yogurt cheese frosting in Erin’s chocolate torte. Eliminate the citrus if you prefer.
https://traditionalcookingschool.com/2010/04/28/chocolate-torte-with-citrus-yogurt-cheese/
Wardee, your cake looks so delicious, and I love the idea of serving the two layers separately. You could even eat one and freeze another for later. i’ll have to try this. I’m just getting into sourdough and absolutely love it. Your sourdough e-course sounds like just the thing! Is it part of your total e-course or is a totally separate course? Thanks for all you do to teach us!
Trish – The sourdough eCourse is another class at GNOWFGLINS eCourse. Enjoy the cake!
I am def going to have to try this one! Great job!
Blessings,
Megan
http://wifemommahomemaker.blogspot.com/
I’m excited about the sourdough course!
I converted this to gluten free and baked this morning – turned out amazing! I used 1 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 cup buckwheat, 1/2 cup tapioca, and 1 tsp guar gum, plus added a bit of extra baking powder (1 1/4 tsp maybe?) My brown rice sourdough starter worked great for it!
Sara Kay – That is awesome!!!
I baked it this morning! I am very comfortable in the kitchen and will confidently take on most any kind of cooking challenge but am definitely a sourdough neophyte and outside my comfort zone. I made my own starter with pineapple juice and spelt flour, then it just sat around sulking while I tried to figure out what to do with it! (I chose spelt because we have been gluten-free for about a year to work on gut issues and I wanted a lower gluten grain for my first forays into sourdough… so far, so good!).
First I made pancakes, which were pretty danged sour because I left it for 24 hours. I figured, go for the max time and work our way back to see how sour we could go and still have everyone like it. Next time I’ll try 12 hours. š
On my list to try next was a sourdough chocolate cake but when I saw this spice cake recipe it trumped the chocolate! I ended up souring the flour overnight for about ten hours because I had a couple setbacks this morning but it still turned out awesome. I made your coconut cream frosting but added some leftover cream cheese frosting I had in the fridge. Oh yeah. I think I’ll try adding raisins and more spice next time.
I have been storing my starter in the fridge, in a jar with lid but in your video you say to not store young sourdough in the fridge. What do you recommend instead? In the microwave (where I set things to rise, sour, etc…) with a little dish on top of the jar is how I have it now.
This looks so good already!
This cake is unbelievably delicious. I had some ugly organic apples that weren’t so good for raw eating, and I cut them up and added them, with raisins, to the cake. OH. MY. Yum. And I never would have thought to use coconut butter for frosting, but it is uncommonly good. I also use coconut cream/butter as the base of some awesome flour-free chocolate chip cookies, but it is SO expensive that I don’t do it very often. I did some looking around, and found that if you put about 7 ounces dried coconut in the food processor, and let it go for 20 minutes (scraping down the sides occasionally), you get coconut butter/coconut cream. It tastes just like what I was buying from tropical traditions. It had a very slight grit to it rather than being perfectly smooth, but it was fantastic and much cheaper than buying it.
Looks wonderful š
I like the sour dough starter in the Little House Cookbook.. fun to cook as Ma & Laura did š
If I left out the cream cheese frosting, would the cake taste sour or neutral and not sweet enough? (I am planning to use honey in place of sugar as well)
Hi Msk,
I’ve made the cake without frosting many times. It’s still very good. Somewhat like a sweet bread. Honey will work fine as the sweetener. š
~Millie, TCS Customer Success Team
My new favorite cake, so full of flavor! I actually prefer it over the light fluffy cakes. My husband said it tasted like a giant cookie and everyone loved it!
We’re so glad you are enjoying this cake Kate! ~ Vicki, TCS Customer Success Team
I made this with a very lengthy fermenting. I didnāt intent on sleeping in today. So it fermented 16 hours. It was creamy and light and not a giant ball when scooping it into the egg mixture. I just used a silicone spatula. The cake turned out so wonderful and is now my new favorite go to each week. I cut the batch in half and used a slightly deeper dish. It cooked for 40 minutes in that deep of a pan. But the edges were delightfully crispy. I also added nutmeg, apple pie spice and ginger spice. What an amazing recipe. Itās just hubby and I since we are now empty nesters. The cake was small and lovely! Thanks so much for this recipe! Cindy Mays
How long would you suggest baking for cupcakes?
Hi, Melissa.
A general rule of thumb when going from a 9″ pan to cupcakes would be reducing cooking time by 5-10%.
We haven’t made as cupcakes so we can’t say for sure.
~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team