We loved, loved, loved this spice cake! The souring process is easy and worth the effort to prepare the wheat for maximum digestibility. Whole wheat flour is wonderful in it. This cake needs hearty, I think. But if you differ, feel free to use whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour for a lighter cake.
- 1 cup fed, active, domed and bubbly starter
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup raw milk
- 1 cup softened coconut oil or butter
- 3 pastured eggs
- 1 cup Rapadura, Sucanat, or palm sugar (not the liquid kind)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Put 1 cup of active starter in a medium size bowl. Add the flour and milk. Mix well to get all the flour wet. It will seem pretty dry. Make a mound of it in the bowl and cover with a plate or cloth. Let sour for 7 to 8 hours, or overnight.
When the souring time is over, turn on the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two 8-inch square or round cake pans with coconut oil (or butter) and whole wheat flour.
Combine coconut oil (or butter), sugar and eggs in mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Add the spices and vanilla extract to the bowl. Mix well.
Retrieve the starter and flour mixture. Cut it up into chunks with a wooden spoon and add to the mixing bowl in pieces. Mix well.
Add the leavenings and salt. Mix.
Transfer the cake batter evenly to the cake pans. Spread out the batter. Tap the pans repeatedly on the counter to level the batter and remove any air pockets.
Put the pans in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cakes are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Transfer pans to a cooling rack and turn off the oven. Let cool 1/2 hour.
While the cakes are cooling, make this coconut cream frosting. 
If you want it thicker, refrigerate a bit to help it set up, but not too long or it won’t be fluid for spreading.
The cakes are probably still a little warm. Use a butter knife to loosen the sides from the pan and tip each pan upside down on a cooling rack to tip out the cakes. Let cool fully. When fully cool, transfer a cake to a serving plate or platter.
Frost lightly or thickly, as you desire. If the frosting is more firm you can use it to bind the two cake layers together and frost the entire outside of the cake. I frosted the layers individually and rather thinly only on the top. This helps us keep portion sizes smaller and sugar consumption lower. Serve and enjoy! Store uneaten cake in the refrigerator.
This recipe is included in our Sourdough A to Z eBook and/or demonstrated on video in our Sourdough eCourse. We’re open for enrollment any time — please join us!
I’ve shared this post in Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop, and Pennywise Platter Thursday, hosted by The Nourishing Gourmet.
About Wardeh
Take the guesswork out of what to fix, what to buy and what to prepare. This week:
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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:
http://gnowfglins.com/2009/11/16/basic-vanilla-frosting/
I added the link to the post, too.
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).
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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.
Alright, Wardeh, 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.
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.
http://gnowfglins.com/2010/04/28/chocolate-torte-with-citrus-yogurt-cheese/
Wardeh, 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/
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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.
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.