Brown Sugar Cake

This bundt cake puts brown sugar in the spotlight instead of treating it as a backup singer. Two cups of packed brown sugar carries the entire sweetening load, which gives the cake its molasses-deep color and a faint caramel undertone you don’t get from a white-sugar version.

The spice mix reads more spiced cake than coffee cake. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves all show up in serious amounts: two teaspoons of cinnamon, two of ginger, one each of cardamom and cloves. That cardamom is the lift that takes this cake from plain to memorable, especially against the brown sugar base.

Buttermilk reacts with the baking soda for the rise, and the recipe smartly notes that buttermilk powder with three-quarters cup water works as a sub. Either way, the acidic dairy keeps the crumb tender and helps the cake stay moist for days.

The butterscotch glaze is the finishing flourish. Butter, brown sugar, and milk get boiled together, then powdered sugar and vanilla (or rum) beaten in for a pourable drizzle that sets to a glossy sheen on the warm cake.

Chef Tips

• Grease and flour the bundt pan thoroughly, getting into every crevice. Brown sugar cakes stick mercilessly.
• Toast the pecans for 6 to 8 minutes before chopping. The flavor jump is enormous in spiced cakes.
• Use freshly ground cardamom and cloves if you can. Old pre-ground spices are barely a whisper of fresh.
• Drizzle the glaze while the cake is still slightly warm so it catches the surface and runs into the grooves of the bundt.

Variations

• Use rum instead of vanilla in the glaze for a more boozy holiday version.
• Swap pecans for walnuts, or skip nuts entirely for a smoother slice.
• Add a half cup of golden raisins or chopped dried apricots to the batter for fruity sweetness.