Venetian spice cake recipe

Last week when I wrote “The Venice you may not, yet, know” I mentioned that one of my all-time favorite desserts, a spice cake, comes from La Bitta restaurant—and the owner shared the recipe with me. This spice cake recipe is simple, but it has quite the unusual set of ingredients that gives it a comforting and very complex flavor. I truly love this cake. In my experience, it is unique.

Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C)

300 grams butter (1 1/3 cups)

300 grams sugar (1 1/2 cups)
300 grams unbleached, white flour (2.6 cups)
3 eggs
1/2 glass red wine (around 2/3 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon saffron (or 1 packet—that’s the way we buy it here)
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt

Butter cakes, like pound cakes, get their soft, fine texture and moistness, called a crumb, by first creaming together fat and sugar, adding eggs, and slowly incorporating dry ingredients into the mixture while alternating with a liquid.

Start by beating the butter in a standing mixer—if straight from the fridge and butter is cold—while gathering up all the other ingredients. If it whips for 10 minutes it will get fluffy and light. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, try to get the butter to room temperature.) Then add the sugar and beat until incorporated.

Add the eggs one at a time.

In a separate bowl stir together all the dry ingredients, then add them to the butter/sugar/egg mixture alternating with the red wine, and beat until just incorporated.

Prepare an 11” pan (28cm)—buttered and floured and lined with baking paper. A spring-release pan is best.

Cook for until it is just firm in the center and a toothpick comes out clean. If it wobbles like jelly when you touch the center with your finger, don’t bother with a toothpick yet.

Start checking at 35 minutes, but it will likely take longer. Try to get it “just done”.

Let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then you should be able to take it out and place it on a cake plate. Serve it warm, dusted with powdered sugar.