Soft spiced cake: the best easy and quick recipe

Homemade spiced cake has nothing to do with the dry and disappointing industrial versions you find in stores. This soft spiced cake recipe is one I've treasured for years: ultra-simple, with no butter or eggs, and incomparably soft. With just a few basic ingredients and less than an hour of preparation, you'll get a spice-scented cake that will perfume your entire home.

Whether to accompany foie gras during the holidays, for snack time with a cup of tea, or simply to comfort you on a winter day, this spiced cake will be your best ally. Its airy and soft texture, its beautiful golden color and its enchanting aroma of honey and spices make it a must-have of traditional pastry-making.

Ingredients for soft spiced cake

Spiced cake is a traditional travel cake made of flour, honey, milk, sugar and a blend of spices. Interesting fact: unlike most cakes, spiced cake contains neither butter nor eggs. This is precisely what gives it this particular texture and exceptional shelf life.

For this recipe, you will need:

• Whole wheat flour: brings a rustic and authentic flavor
• Baking powder: for softness and lightness
• Brown sugar: its caramelized flavor pairs perfectly with honey
• Honey: the star ingredient that gives all its character to spiced cake
• Milk: brings necessary moisture
• Spices: ginger and cinnamon for warm and comforting flavors

What flour for spiced cake?

This recipe uses whole wheat flour, which brings a rustic little taste and a denser texture to spiced cake. It's not mandatory, but I highly recommend it for an authentic result.

You can also use:

• Classic T55 flour: for lighter spiced cake
• Rye flour: for a traditional Alsatian version
• 50/50 mix of whole wheat and white flour: good compromise
• Spelt flour: for a more easily digestible version

What honey for spiced cake?

The choice of honey is crucial for the success of your spiced cake. You can use almost any honey, but know that the stronger your honey tastes (spruce, fir, chestnut), the more fragrant and flavorful your spiced cake will be.

My recommendations:

• Acacia honey: sweet and delicate, for subtle spiced cake
• Forest honey: powerful and woody, very fragrant
• Fir honey: the most traditional for spiced cake
• Wildflower honey: balanced, good compromise

Tip: If your honey is crystallized or too hard, pass it through the microwave for a few seconds to liquefy it. It will be easier to incorporate into the batter.

What spices for spiced cake?

This recipe uses only ginger and cinnamon, for a balanced result that's not too strong. It's perfect to accompany foie gras or for children.

You can also add:

• Mixed 4 spices: for a more complex version
• Star anise: for a licorice touch
• Cardamom: for an Oriental note
• Clove: for more power (sparingly)
• Nutmeg: for roundness

Important: Don't overdo it with the spices! A spice cake that's too strong will mask the taste of foie gras and be unpleasant to eat on its own.

Spiced cake and foie gras: the perfect match

Spiced cake is the traditional accompaniment to foie gras, and for good reason: its softness, its slight sweetness and its spices enhance the richness of foie gras without masking it.

What spiced cake for foie gras?

There are two types of spiced cake:

• Hard spiced cake: biscuit version, used for gingerbread men and decorative houses
• Soft spiced cake: cake version, ideal for foie gras

To accompany foie gras, always choose a soft spiced cake, not too strong in spices, so as not to mask the delicate flavors of foie gras.

How to serve spiced cake with foie gras?

• Cut thin slices (about 5mm thick)
• You can lightly toast it for more crunch
• Serve at room temperature
• Plan 2 to 3 slices per person