Buttermilk Maple Spice Cake

 

I am really pleased to be able to share a delicious maple spice cake recipe with you today.  Not just a maple spice cake, but a buttermilk maple spice cake. 

We all know how moist and delicious buttermilk cakes are, and this fabulous cake is no exception.  It is moist and nicely spiced.  The smell of it baking in the oven is guaranteed to get your taste buds to tingling for sure!

 

 

The recipe for this simple cake is one which I adapted from the cookery book entitled, The Maple Syrup Cookbook, by Ken Haedrich.  It is filled with over 100 recipes using one of my favorite ingredients Maple Syrup.

I love Ken's baking books. I purchased my first one many years ago at a yard sale. I was hooked. They are not fancy books. There are not a lot of photographs in any of them, but the recipes are pure gold.

 

He likes to use a lot of natural and pure ingredients, wholesome ingredients. And this cake is a prime example.  It uses a combination of plain and whole wheat flours.

There is no sugar in it, it is sweetened merely by Maple syrup, which gives it a beautiful flavor.  The use of buttermilk makes it incredibly moist.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BUTTERMILK MAPLE SPICE CAKE

Pure, wholesome and natural ingredients work together to create a simple cake that goes together quickly and is quite delicious! 

• 1 cup (140g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (70g) whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup (160ml) buttermilk
• 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup (80ml) canola oil
• 1 TBS dark molasses

 

I always keep some whole wheat flour in my freezer to use in recipes like this one. Just measure it out and let it come to room temperature. It doesn't take long.

I love the combination of warm baking spices in this cake. Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and just a pinch of cayenne pepper.  

 

You can increase the spices a tiny bit if you wish, but don't be tempted to overdo it. In doing so you may overwhelm the subtle flavor of the maple syrup.

Do make sure you use pure maple syrup. I like to keep the Amber grade in my kitchen, and I always refrigerate it after I open it, so that it stays fresh. Maple syrup can and will grow mold if kept on the counter.

 

If you don't have any buttermilk in your kitchen, you can easily make your own substitute.  There are two different ways.

1. Add 1 TBS of lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup. Fill with whole milk to the measure and then leave it to sit on the counter for 5 minutes to clabber.

2. Whisk together equal portions of full fat plain yogurt and whole milk to make up the measure of buttermilk you need.  This is my favorite method. It works a charm.

 

HOW TO MAKE BUTTERMILK MAPLE SPICE CAKE

I love simple cakes like this. It goes together in minutes and is baked within half an hour.  This makes it the perfect snack cake, a great cake for brown bag lunches, or a fabulous dessert served warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch square baking tin and line the bottom with some baking paper, leaving an overhang to lift the cake out with.

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl to combine well.

Whisk all of the wet ingredients together.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the wet. Whisk everything together just until smooth. Do not beat. Pour into the prepared baking tin.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out lean and the top spring back when lightly touched.

Leave to cool completely in the tin.  Cut into squares to serve. Whipped cream or ice cream go very well.

Don't be tempted to beat the cake. This will toughen the crumb.  A light touch works perfectly. Simply whisk together until the batter is smooth.

I did dust the top of my finished cake with some icing sugar to pretty it up a bit.  Normally I would place a paper doily on the cake to make a pretty pattern, but I don't have any of those in my kitchen at the moment.

 

 

This is a really lovely cake. So simple to put together and it came out incredibly moist and delicious.  The smell of it baking in the oven was incredible.  That alone is worth making this cake.

I could hardly wait for it to come out and cool a bit so that I could dig into it. If I was a candle maker, this is a scent I would create for sure.  Heavenly bliss!

Some other spicy cakes you might enjoy are:

LIME FROSTED DOUBLE GINGER CAKE - This also smells heavenly when baking.   Refreshingly delicious and moist, with a fabulously creamy lime cream cheese frosting. Three layers and three kinds of ginger ensure this is one cake you won't want to miss!

LEMON & GINGER SNACK CAKE - Lemon and ginger are perfect partners in this moist and delicious snacking cake.  It's like a magic cake where everything is mixed together right in the tin.  Topped with a lush lemon glaze and some candied stem ginger. Fabulously tasty!

Yield: 9

Author: Marie Rayner

Buttermilk Maple Spice Cake

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

A simple spice cake flavored with maple syrup and moistened with buttermilk. It smells heavenly when it is baking. This will have the neighbors knocking on the door to see what you are baking that smells so delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (140g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (70g) whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup (160ml) buttermilk
• 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup (80ml) canola oil
• 1 TBS dark molasses

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 9-inch square baking tin and line the bottom with some baking paper, leaving an overhang to lift the cake out with.
2. Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl to combine well.
3. Whisk all of the wet ingredients together.
4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the wet. Whisk everything together just until smooth. Do not beat. Pour into the prepared baking tin.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out lean and the top spring back when lightly touched.
6. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
7. Cut into squares to serve. Whipped cream or ice cream go very well.

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