odette williams' cinnamon spice donut cake
I’ve been on the hunt for a good, simple spice cake for years. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve been disappointed by too many that are dry and bland. That changed last fall when I tried Odette Williams’ cinnamon spice cake from her 2019 cookbook Simple Cake and immediately knew it was the one I’d been looking for. Made from applesauce, honey, olive oil, and milk, Odette’s cake is cloud-tender. It’s lightly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest and somehow manages to taste exactly like an apple cider donut. It’s also, arguably, a little bit healthy since it uses spelt flour in place of all-purpose flour; the spelt brings out a lovely warmth. Odette offers different variations for her spice cake, but my favorite is one that doubles down on the donut-like flavor by brushing the cake with melted butter and topping it with cinnamon sugar. Originally, Odette bakes this in a 9x13-inch pan, but I prefer it in a bundt pan since the bundt form maximizes the surface area for the donut-crunch topping. A big bundt donut is also, frankly, pretty cute. The other change I’ve made to the original recipe might be predictable to those following at home: I browned the butter. The nutty, toasted browned butter makes the cake especially irresistible.
Odette williams’ cinnamon spice donut cake
Adapted from Simple Cake by Odette Williams.
As above, my change to the original recipe is to bake this in a bundt pan, although I’ve also kept instructions for baking this in a 9x13-inch pan. Additionally, I’ve browned the butter in the topping and think the extra step is worth it. I’ve also doubled the vanilla. Use white spelt flour (without the bran and germ; resembles all-purpose) which yields a more tender cake. If not, use all-purpose flour in equal proportion or a combination of both flours.
Makes one 10-inch bundt cake (or one 9x13-inch cake).
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups (270g) white spelt flour or all-purpose flour (see above)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
3 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (120ml) mild-flavored extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (240g) unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup (85g) honey
1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 cup (190g) light brown sugar, lightly packed
TOPPING
1/3 cup cane sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch bundt pan and dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside. (If using a 9x13-inch pan, butter the pan, line with parchment paper, and butter the parchment paper).
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, vanilla, applesauce, honey, milk, zest, and brown sugar until smooth. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until there are no lumps and the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 to 38 minutes (28 to 30 minutes for a 9x13-inch pan) or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes before inverting it on a wire rack or plate.
MAKE THE TOPPING: Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Brown the butter by melting it in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring the pan every few seconds, until it turns a deep gold color and starts to smell fragrant, about 5 minutes; remove from heat and transfer to a heat-proof container (to prevent continued cooking).
Brush the cake all over with browned butter. Let it soak into the cake a little before sprinkling on the cinnamon-sugar mix; do your best to coat it completely! (If the cake is still warm, the sugar will dissolve.) Serve and store any leftover cake covered at room temperature for up to four days.