If you’re in need of a chocolate cake that isn’t too rich or too fussy, then this chocolate spice cake is a good one to go for. It’s an easy to make light chocolate cake with spicy notes. You can cover it with chocolate buttercream for afternoon tea or with a spicy whipped chocolate mousse for a special occasion.
This chocolate spice cake goes back a long way. Well, since my childhood anyway. It’s something of a family recipe. Whenever I bite into it, I’m flooded with memories of a long ago camping trip down at Sennen Cove.
The week long holiday was destined to end in disaster. The first two days were brilliant. The sun shone, we swam, explored and feasted on the cake. It has never tasted quite as scrumptious as it did eating it out in the open with the salt Cornish air in our lungs.
But it wasn’t long before the heavens opened and our tents and sleeping bags got thoroughly soaked. The rain showed no inclination to stop and after one night of sleeping in a damp puddle, we decided to cut our losses and go home. The joys of camping!
When I first got into cake making in my teenage years, the bake I made most often was this Chocolate Spice Cake. It was me that made the one for our ill-fated camping holiday. Once I left home, I sort of forgot about it. But a few years ago, I must have had a sudden yearning for my youth or something. I woke up one morning with the certain knowledge that I wanted to make this cake today.
Chocolate Spice Cake Tips
I’ve made the cake several times since. Sometimes I vary the flour, just to ring the changes. I’ve used half wholemeal spelt and half quinoa and I’ve also tried it with half buckwheat or coconut flours. These have all been good, but I always come back to my trusty wholemeal spelt flour which just works.
Occasionally, when I’m feeling a bit more health conscious, I swap the sugar for Rapadura, but it’s hard to kid myself that this cake is anything but an indulgence.
The original chocolate spice cake includes mixed peel. I find it makes a really good addition. But mixed peel is one of the things that unfussy CT is fussy about. So I tend to swap the mixed peel for crystallised papaya or pineapple. If you don’t like it, you could just leave it out all together, but it’s just not quite the same.
Update Sept 2019 – Jo recently made this cake and she swapped the mixed peel for crystallised ginger. What a very good idea. You can see how she got on over on her blog Jo’s Kitchen Larder.
I used to whip up the egg whites separately to the yolks and fold this into the cake mixture. But it’s an additional step that I’ve now stopped doing. I don’t think it makes much difference to the final texture and it just takes more time and creates extra washing up. Who needs that?
I’ve included the original chocolate buttercream icing in the recipe. This cake definitely needs a topping of some sort. If I’m making the cake for something special though, I top it with a spicy whipped chocolate mousse. This is similar to the buttercream, but I add mascarpone and a little spice. I then whip it until it’s light, moussy and unctuous.
Other Spicy Chocolate Cake Recipes You Might Like
- Chai masala chocolate fairy cakes
- Chilli chestnut chocolate cake
- Chocolate chilli cake
- Chocolate, ginger & cardamom tea bread
- Coffee cardamom chocolate mousse cake
- Easter brownies
- Ginger chocolate cupcakes
- Ginger & lime cake with lime curd
- Iced honey chocolate spice cake
- Orange cardamom birthday cake
- Spiced dark chocolate cake (vegan)
- Spiced rum Easter chocolate mini cakes
- Spicy orange brownies
- Spicy Peruvian avocado brownies
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this spicy chocolate cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more large cake recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Chocolate Spice Cake. PIN IT
Chocolate Spice Cake – The Recipe
Chocolate Spice Cake
Ingredients
- 50 g dark chocolate (2 oz (I used 70%))
- 115 g unsalted butter (4 oz) softened
- 200 g light muscovado sugar (7 oz)
- 2 large eggs (I used duck eggs)
- 175 g wholemeal spelt flour (6 oz)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground allspice (or mixed spice if you prefer)
- 120 ml kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt (4 fl oz)
- 1 oz mixed peel (or dried pineapple or papaya)
Chocolate Buttercream
- 60 g unsalted butter (2 oz)
- 50 g dark chocolate (2 oz (I used 70%))
- 115 g icing sugar (4 oz)
- OR
Spicy Whipped Chocolate Mousse
- 60 g unsalted butter (2 oz)
- 50 g dark chocolate (2 oz)
- 85 g icing sugar (3 oz)
- 125 g mascarpone cheese (4 oz)
- ½ tsp allspice
Instructions
- First, melt the chocolate. Bring a pan of water to the boil, then remove it from the heat. Place a bowl over the top and break in the chocolate. Leave until melted.50 g dark chocolate
- Turn on the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. I do this by hand, but you can use a hand held or stand mixer if you prefer.115 g unsalted butter, 200 g light muscovado sugar
- Beat in the chocolate. Then beat in the eggs, one by one.2 large eggs
- Sift in the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Pour the kefir in and mix gently. Finally stir in the mixed peel.175 g wholemeal spelt flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, 1 ½ tsp ground allspice, 120 ml kefir, buttermilk, sour milk or watered down yoghurt, 1 oz mixed peel
- Scrape the batter into an 20 cm (8”) round silicone mould or lined tin.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the top is firm to the touch and an inverted skewer comes out clean.
- Leave in the tin to cool for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Whilst the cake is cooling, make the topping.
Chocolate Buttercream
- Melt the butter and chocolate in the previously used chocolate bowl, using the same method. Leave to cool for ten minutes or so.60 g unsalted butter, 50 g dark chocolate
- Sieve in the icing sugar, then beat together until you have a spreadable consistency.115 g icing sugar
- Spread over the cooled cake.
Spicy Whipped Chocolate Mousse
- Melt the butter and chocolate in the previously used chocolate bowl, using the same method. Leave to cool for ten minutes or so.60 g unsalted butter, 50 g dark chocolate
- Sieve in the icing sugar and spice, then beat together well with a wooden spoon. Add the mascarpone and beat until you have a light and moussy consistency.85 g icing sugar, 125 g mascarpone cheese, ½ tsp allspice
- Spread over the cooled cake.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Chocolate Spice Cake Update
In August 2019 I updated the post to make it more useful to my readers. It now has a recipe card, more explanatory text and new photos. I made the cake for CT’s birthday and topped it with the spicy whipped chocolate mousse which I then covered in chocolate shavings. We enjoyed it with macerated raspberries and it was delicious. Here’s the original photo.
Sharing
I’m sharing this chocolate spice cake with Apply to Face Blog for Baking Crumbs.
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
Oh wow this sounds so divine!!
Choclette says
It’s quite a simple cake, but it takes me right back to my youth.
Helen - Cooking with my kids says
This sounds delicious. I’ve never had chocolate and all spice together, but it sounds great. #bakingcrumbs
Choclette says
It’s a bit unusual but a nice combination nonetheless.
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
The chocolate cake and that spiced whipped chocolate mousse with mascarpone on top – heaven! I so could do with a slice now! Don’t you just love recipes that take you back! Thank you for sharing this one with #BakingCrumbs 🙂
Choclette says
I do love recipes that take me back, especially when they turn out to be as good as this one 😀
Jenny Walters says
What a chocolate cake and what fabulous memories. Isn’t that what baking is all about? I have never had a spiced chocolate combo before but you make it sound like I so should. I can almost taste it. Thank you so much for sharing it with #BakingCrumbs
Choclette says
I’m a bit of a spice fiend and chocolate works well with so many spices.
Ramona says
Oh my! This cake looks and sounds absolutely amazing, all these spices add so much flavour to it. Definitely a must make over the school holiday and my little baker would be very happy to join me. Thank you for sharing!
Choclette says
Thank you Ramona. Yes, this is a good one for little bakers as it’s not a rich chocolate cake and it’s fairly easy to make.
Byron Thomas says
You grabbed my attention at spiced. I love just about any dessert type of recipe that has the word spiced in the title. I’m a sucker for things like all-spice, ground ginger, ground cloves, etc. It’s a part of my roots. Newfoundlanders will often used ground spices that are warm and comforting in their desserts. I most certainly would not skip on the mixed peel though. I love that stuff!!
Choclette says
Ah, you’re from the cold north Byron. I can quite see why spices are so appealing. I don’t mind bought mixed peel, but I’m totally in love with the homemade stuff.
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
I have never had a chocolate spice cake and it sounds delicious. I love the addition of the allspice in the cake and in the mousse. What a delicious flavor combination.
Choclette says
I’ve just had a slice with my lunch and it’s just as good now on day three as it was on day one.
Leslie says
Family recipes are always the BEST! This looks like a keeper for sure! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Choclette says
It’s a good everyday type of cake Leslie. Well, apart from the chocolate mousse topping which takes it up a notch 😀
Jeannette (Jay Joy) says
Why haven’t I ever heard of chocolate spicy mousse, crystallized papaya or pineapple?! I honestly ouldnt’ know whether we could pick chocolate spicy mouse or chocolate buttercream.
Choclette says
Well chocolate spicy mousse is something I made up, so I’ll let you off that one. But the crystallised papaya or pineapple shouldn’t be too hard to find.
Kylee says
You had me a “chocolate mousse”. This is such a gorgeous blend of flavors, I cant wait to try!
Choclette says
Thank you. Chocolate seems to marry well with so many spices.