This old-fashioned spice cake is adapted from a 1954 Westinghouse Cookbook recipe. It is slathered with my creamy Mascarpone Caramel Icing. I hope it is as big a hit with your family, as it was with mine!
Makes an 8-inch layer cake.
Ingredients:
Spice Cake:
- 1 c vegetable shortening
- 2 c sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 c all-purpose flour, sifted before measuring
- 4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 c plain yogurt
- 1 c whole milk
- 2 tsp baking soda
Mascarpone Caramel Icing:
- 6 Tbsp salted butter
- 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 c milk
- 8 oz Mascarpone Fresca cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Spice Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and generously butter (2) 8-inch round cake pans. Dust the pans with flour.
- With an electric mixer, cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and beat thoroughly.
- Sift flour again with the cocoa and spices.
- Blend the yogurt, milk, and baking soda.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the shortening mixture, beating a little after each addition. Do not over-beat.
- Pour batter equally into the two pans and bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the highest part of each layer comes out clean.
- Remove from pans immediately. Cool on wire racks.
Mascarpone Caramel Icing:
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on low heat.
- Add brown sugar and milk. Bring to boiling, reduce heat slightly and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in Mascarpone cream cheese until melted and smooth. Cool completely.
- Place one cooled cake layer on a platter or large dish. To catch the icing drippings, put strips of wax paper around the edges of the dish.
- Spread a thin coating of the icing on top of the first layer. Add second cake layer and ice its top and sides.
- Remove wax paper and store cake in a tall cake dome until sliced and served.