For many, spice cake is a Christmas tradition. Children in Yorkshire, England, would visit various homes on Christmas Eve singing for spice cake and cheese. A recipe for “Mrs. Roosevelt’s Receipt for Spice Cake” written by Edith Roosevelt, wife of Theodore Roosevelt, is included in a cookbook first published in Philadelphia during 1906 called Famous Old Receipts Used a Hundred Years and More in the Kitchens of the North and South Contributed by Descendants. Published while President Roosevelt was in office, the recipe was a special contribution straight from the White House.
Recipe Servings: 12
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Total Time
50 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
Cake:
- Shortening, as needed to grease pan
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little to dust the pan
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup buttermilk
Frosting:
- 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with shortening and dust it with flour. Set the pan aside.
- Cream together the sugar and butter.
- Add the eggs and beat for 1 minute.
- Whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, stirring to combine.
- Add the buttermilk and beat for 1 minute.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the cake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool before frosting.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the butter, mixing until well combined and smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, mixing until fully combined.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake, cut, and serve.
For Cake:
For Frosting:
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