This cake was born on a cold and snowy winter night.

I had a craving for something simple, spiced, and topped with swirls of frosting. It took a few tries to get it perfectly moist, soft and springy, and spiced just right. Speculaas is a Dutch shortbread biscuit, made with a variety of spices, and baked in December. There are several variations in Belgium, Germany, Austria, and Indonesia, and are all served around Christmas (thanks wikipedia!).

Now, speculaas spice mix is the star of the show here! I made my own mix of it, since I couldn’t find a pre-mixed version anywhere. I first fell in love with speculaas spice in the form of cookie butter from Trader Joe’s! Give me a jar of that chunky cookie butter, and I’ll spread it on literally everything. I picked up all the individual spices from Bulk Barn, and the exact amounts can be tweaked a little depending on your own taste!

I’m still obsessed with small batch recipes, and smaller sized cakes, and this one fits the bill. I baked it in a 6-inch cake pan, although it could be done in an 8 or 9-inch pan…it will just be a little thinner. You could also bake it as a few cupcakes, although I haven’t tried this quite yet!

Spread a generous amount of frosting on the cake, and top with a dusting of speculaas mix or even just a dash of cinnamon for some drama!

winter spice (speculaas) cake with vanilla frosting

PRINT RECIPE HERE

recipe: Kelsey Siemens

yields: one 6-inch cake

cake ingredients

1/4 cup sour milk (1/4 cup 2% dairy milk plus 1 teaspoon white vinegar)

1/4 cup (56 g) salted butter

3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons speculaas spice mix (recipe below….or sub cinnamon if needed)

1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour

to make the cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 6-inch cake pan with tall, straight edges, and set aside.

Combine 1/4 cup milk with 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to create the sour milk, and set aside.

Cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium high speed for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, yolk, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, and speculaas spice, and mix on medium speed until well combined.

Add in about half the flour and mix on low. Then add in the sour milk mixture, and mix on low. Finally add in the remaining flour and mix on low until just barely combined. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed together.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake for 28-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before gently removing from the pan. Cover with frosting and serve immediately.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the freezer for a couple months.

speculaas spice mix ingredients

1/4 cup ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground aniseed

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

to make the spice mix

In a small bowl, stir together all the spices and store in an airtight container in your spice cupboard.

vanilla frosting ingredients

1/4 cup (56 g) salted butter, room temperature

1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

splash of milk, as needed

to make the frosting

In a small bowl, whip the butter on high speed until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix on low until combined. Add a splash of milk if needed to adjust the consistency. Best if used immediately.

Can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer until ready to use. Thaw to room temperature or warm slightly before using.

tips:

I used a 6-inch cake pan for this - you can use an 8 or 9-inch pan if you’d like, but the cake will be thinner and the cook time may need adjusted (will likely be a little less due to the increased surface area).
Using butter as the fat in this cake increases the flavour, but means it won’t stay as moist by the next day compared to a recipe that uses oil. Like most baked goods, it’s best the first day!
The frosting is lovely, but this cake is also delicious with a sprinkling of sugar or a scoop of ice cream on top.
The speculoos spice mix is excellent in hot chocolate, coffee, or even add a dash to your favourite cookie recipe!

Happy cake baking!

-Kelsey

more cake recipes