Nutmeg Cake Recipe

Warm Bread and Honey | Interlink Pub Group, 2009

This nutmeg cake is my slightly more sophisticated take on a childhood favorite. The cake can be served as it is or, even better, soaked with a rum syrup. The plain nutmeg loaf is an easy and quick recipe, although the syruped loaf should be left for a day before cutting, as the flavor improves with time.–Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra

LC Gifters' Remorse Note

What a lovely gift this quick cake makes when wrapped in parchment, tied with a bow, and packaged with a handwritten recipe. Although you may wish to make a couple loaves—one to gift, one to keep. You know, just to stave off gifters’ remorse.

Special Equipment: 1 pound loaf pan

Hands-On Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, not including cooling | Makes 1 loaf

Want it? Click it.

Ingredients

Scant 1 1/4 cups (6 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (from about 1/4 of a nutmeg)
1 stick plus 1 tablespoons (4 1/2 ounces) butter, softened, plus more for the pan
Generous 1/2 cup (4 1/2 ounces) packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
For the rum syrup
1/2 cup sugar syrup
2 tablespoons rum

Directions

Make the nutmeg cake
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Butter a loaf pan, line the base of the pan with parchment paper cut to fit, and dust the pan and parchment with flour. Tap out any excess.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
3. Beat the butter with a mixer or by hand until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
4. Whisk the eggs loosely in a small bowl and then add the vanilla extract. Add the egg to the butter mixture in two batches, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
5. Use a whisk as you would a spoon to fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Make the rum syrup
7. In a small bowl combine the sugar syrup and rum.
Finish the cake
8. Remove the pan from the oven and use a skewer to pierce the cake all the way down to the bottom in several places. Slowly pour the rum syrup over the surface of the cake. Let the cake cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer it, right side up, to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. When the cake has cooled completely, wrap it well in plastic wrap and keep it for a day, if you can, before slicing it to allow the flavors to mature.

Hungry for more? Chow down on these:

Nutmeg Doughnut Muffins from Orangette
Snickerdoodles from Nami-Nami
Thankful Butterscotch Cake from Leite's Culinaria
Indonesia Spice Cake from Leite's Culinaria