Spiced chocolate cake: My grandma’s recipe

There’s something truly special about recipes that stand the test of time, passed down through generations, each slice infused with love and memories. For me, that cake is Oma Gerda’s Gewürzkuchen. A spiced chocolate cake that feels like a yummy warm hug, it’s the flavour of my childhood and an easy recipe I’m more than happy to share.

My Oma (grandma) Gerda’s kitchen was the heart of her home. The scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and chocolate wafting through her kitchen was like a promise of something wonderful. My sister, cousins and I would sit at the table, legs swinging, eyes glued to the tray as it came out of the oven.

Growing up, this was the cake for every occasion. For kids’ birthday parties, Oma would top it with a simple icing sugar glaze and scatter colourful sprinkles over the top.

The adult version, though, is a bit more understated: just a dusting of icing sugar, letting the spices and chocolate notes take centre stage.

Spiced Chocolate Cake – here we go:

Ingredients:

125g butter, softened
350g sugar
320g flour
125g cacao
4 eggs, separated
1/2 TBSP ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg, grated
1/4 litre milk
16g baking powder

Get baking:

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Line the base of a large rectangular baking tin with baking paper & grease the sides.
Cream the butter until fluffy, add sugar and egg yolks one by one and mix thoroughly.
Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the mixture along with the milk.
Add the cacao, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and incorporate thoroughly.
Finally beat the egg whites and fold into the cake mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for around 20min until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes:
The cake is baked in a large tray, making it perfect for freezing and quick to defrost. For the best results, freeze the cake before dusting it with icing sugar, as the sugar can become soggy during defrosting.