Hiya guys! I have been so pumped to share this holiday spice cake with you. I think it’s my favourite baked treat to make during the holiday season. This is my second year making this cake and it’s just as decadent and tasty as I remember a year ago (yep, it stuck with me for that long). No doubt this spiced bread is going down in history!
This cake is wonderfully spiced using a French four spice blend; of ginger, cloves, nutmeg and pepper. Mixed with soaked apricots and cherries, and blended with demerara sugar and flours for beautifully baked holiday spice cake. It’s an indulgent classic cake recipe, using classic sugar and flour (not some kind of healthy alternative to the classic, like my typical recipes). But to that I say, tis the season! Because this cake is moist, decadent, and beyond worth the extra little indulgence! Sometimes we should have our cake and eat it to!
The recipe came about last year after receiving my December issues of Bon Appetit. In perusing through the pages I stumbled upon a beautiful spiced bread with cranberry compote. I’m a sucker for spiced baked goods!! Add cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to any dish and I am in totally heaven. So no doubt this recipe was calling to me. However, like most classic baked goods it required heaps of butter, eggs and milk. All not a part of my diet as you may know. And so, I decided to put matters into my own hands and make my own rendition using the recipe as inspiration, but entirely plant-based.Low and behold this gorgeous Holiday Spice Cake! It’s moist, pillowy, beautifully spiced and decadent! Honestly if I had my own bakery this would be the cake they wrote articles about. I have fed this cake to a range of foodies and they were all in awe. I know you will be too.
For this recipe I’ve made it in a bundt dish. I just find them so festive and impressive for the holidays. But if you don’t have a bundt pan you can use a normal metal loaf pan. The only thing I’d recommend is using two smaller loaf pans, as bundt pans yield more batter. Trust me, it won’t be “too much” cake, it’s much too easy to devour for that. And the recipe freezes beautifully if you’d like to enjoy one now, and the other at another time.
For the glaze, I have used a classic blend of icing sugar and lemon, and poured over the bundt cake. It’s beautifully sweet and citrusy and gives it a nice glazed look to the cake. However, you can forgo the glaze altogether if you like. The cake is delicious as is. Another alternative would be to sprinkle with a bit of icing sugar and it will look like snow.
That’s all there is to this gorgeous Holiday Spiced Cake. I’ve no doubt that you’re going to love it! And so will your loved ones. And, if you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.
Holiday Spice Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 tbsp ground chia (or ground flax)
- 1/2 cup filtered water + 1 tbsp
- 1/2 cup dried apricots
- 1 1/2 cup almond milk , or other plantbased milk
- 1 1/2 cup demerara sugar , or cane sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt , finely ground
- 1/2 cup vegan butter + 1 tbsp, or coconut oil
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 6 tsp quatre épices (four spice mix)
For the glaze:
- 3/4 cups icing sugar
- 2 tbsp almond milk , plus more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/176C. Oil bundt pan and set aside. Make chia eggs by combining 3 tbsp ground chia with 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (135 ml) water. Stir well to combine and set aside for at least 10 minutes. Soak dried apricots in a small bowl with 1/2 cup hot water and let sit until fruit plumps, approx. 10 minutes.
- Transfer soaked apricots (including water) to a blender and add 1/2 cup oat milk. Puree until smooth. Pour puree into large mixing bowl. Then add chia egg, demerera sugar, salt and remaining 1 cup oat milk. Whisk together.
- Melt vegan butter (or coconut oil) on medium heat, and place to the side.
- Sift all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and quatre épices (four spice mix) through mesh sieve in a medium bowl, mix to combine. Then, add dry ingredients to liquid mixture and blend with hand mixer until no lumps remain (you can also do this by hand). Gradually pour in vegan butter (or coconut oil) while continuing to mix.
- Pour batter into bundt pan and bake until bread is golden brown and a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean (approx. 45 minutes to 1 hr). Let bread cool before flipping the cake to remove from pan.
- While you’re waiting for the cake to cool make your sugar glaze. In a bowl combine icing sugar and lemon juice. Mix to combine adding more lemon juice or water to thin if required. Pour over bundt cake. Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
VEGAN – VEGETARIAN – WHEAT-FREE – DAIRY-FREE – SOY-FREE – NUT-FREE
June
Hi, I found this cake thru a link for your vegan/gluten free carrot cake. I see this recipe uses regular wheat flour. I need to make a gluten free cake for my son who has celiac disease. Have you made this one gluten free? I usually use bobs red mill all-purpose gluten free flour which has the xathan gum already in it. I have my heart set on this one..it looks so delicious 🙂
Hannah Sunderani
Hi June! Thanks so much for your note. I have never made this specific recipe with gluten-free flour, but I see absolutely no problem using a gluten-free flour blend as a substitute. Bobs red mill is a great one! I always recommend to use a gluten-free flour “blend” (i.e. the ingredients blend together different flours like rice, potato, tapioca etc.) as they most resemble the real kind. I’m sure it will work great! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
June
Thanks for replying so quickly Hannah! I’m so excited to try this recipe! Will definitely let you know how it turns out with the gluten free flour 🙂
Hannah Sunderani
It’s my pleasure! Hope you and your son enjoy the recipe. Happy holidays!!