Mace Cake

Mace is the often-overlooked spice that comes from the outer coating of the nutmeg seed, and it deserves its own cake. It tastes like nutmeg’s more refined cousin: warmer, slightly floral, with a delicate sweetness that perfumes a simple butter cake beautifully.

This is a pound cake at heart. Butter, sugar, five eggs, sifted flour, milk, and vanilla. No leavening, which means the lift comes entirely from creaming the butter and sugar and from the eggs. The result is a dense, velvety crumb with a fine, even texture that bundt pans were designed to show off.

The directions are refreshingly minimal: mix everything and bake for an hour. That simplicity puts all the pressure on technique. Creaming the butter and sugar thoroughly and adding eggs one at a time is what gives this cake its structure and keeps it from being heavy.

Pro Tips

• Cream the butter and sugar until truly light and fluffy. This is where all the air goes into this leavening-free cake. Don’t rush it.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each. Dumping them all in at once can break the emulsion and make the cake dense.
• Sift the flour before measuring. This cake’s texture depends on light, airy flour, not packed cups.
• Grease and flour the bundt pan thoroughly, especially the center tube. Mace cake sticks easily because of the high butter and sugar content.

Variations

• Lemon mace cake: Add the zest of two lemons and drizzle with a lemon glaze for a citrus-spice combination.
• Buttermilk version: Use buttermilk instead of regular milk for a slightly tangier crumb that balances the sweetness.