"City Mouse" Spice Cake

"Oh, I couldn't possibly eat a peanut" said the City Mouse to the Country Mouse. "In the city, I only dine on spice cake and I dance on a velvet carpet."


Rude guest that she was, the city mouse might have had a point about spice cake. There are as many variations on spice cake as there are people that bake them. I've seen recipes that have them baked in layers, coated in fluffy cooked frosting and then covered in toasted coconut. I've eaten spice cakes with and without fruit, with cream cheese frostings, with little spice but cinnamon or heavy with nutmeg, ginger and brandy. If you're really planning ahead, you can soak the raisins in brandy a day ahead of time. Don't you dare toss out that soaking brandy! Drink it with a bit of ginger ale.

The recipe that follows is a compilation of many different attempts. You can substitute chopped crystalised ginger for an even more interesting cake. Rather than deal with frosting (oh, how I hate preparing cooked frostings) I made a simple glaze of confectioner's sugar and water.

You Will Need:

1 cup raisins-plumped with boiling water, drained and coarsely chopped.
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup softened butter
2 eggs
1-cup buttermilk
2 ½ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1-teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1-teaspoon baking soda
1-teaspoon vanilla

Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to eggs and butter alternating with the milk. Add vanilla. Pour into either a well greased tube pan, a 9x13 layer, or 2 round layers (you will have a bit extra which can always be made into a few cupcakes).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake cake for 35-40 minutes, but begin checking at 30. Glaze when cool.