Toasted Nut Spice Cake

This old-fashioned spice cake has a built-in topping. A brown sugar meringue studded with chopped nuts goes directly onto the raw batter before baking, and the two layers cook together. The cake rises underneath while the meringue sets on top into a crispy, chewy shell with toasted nuts poking through.

Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves give the crumb a warm, holiday-worthy spice blend, and the sour milk (made by adding vinegar to regular milk) reacts with baking soda to give the cake its tender, slightly tangy crumb. Brown sugar in both the batter and the meringue means deep caramel notes throughout.

The whole thing bakes for about 50 minutes, so the meringue has time to brown and crisp while the cake finishes in the center. No frosting needed.

Kitchen Tips

• Make the sour milk first and let it sit while you prep everything else. It needs a few minutes for the vinegar to curdle the milk properly.
• Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks before adding the brown sugar. Adding sugar too early prevents the whites from reaching full volume.
• Spread the meringue gently over the raw batter. Pressing too hard deflates the whites and pushes them into the cake.

Variations

• Use pecans or walnuts for the nut topping. Toast them in a dry skillet first for deeper flavor.
• Add a teaspoon of ground ginger to the spice mix for a gingerbread-leaning version.
• Drizzle with a thin caramel glaze after cooling if you want something extra.