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Sliced vanilla spice loaf cake on a wooden board showing a golden crumb with cinnamon and cardamom spices nearby

Vanilla Spice Loaf Cake

A warmly spiced vanilla loaf cake made in one bowl. Tender crumb, clean slices, great the next day.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 248
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 115 g unsalted butter, softened room temperature
  • 180 g granulated white sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 120 g sour cream full-fat, room temperature
  • 200 g all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.25 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground cardamom
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg freshly grated if possible
  • 0.25 tsp ground allspice optional but recommended

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 170 C / 340 F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with butter and line the base and long sides with a strip of parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is pale, light, and noticeably fluffy.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating briefly after each addition until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions.
  4. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream. Mix on low speed until smooth and uniform. The batter may look slightly curdled at this point - that's fine.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and allspice until evenly combined.
  6. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two additions, folding gently with a rubber spatula after each. Stop folding as soon as no dry streaks remain - do not overmix.
  7. Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Tap the pan gently on the counter once to settle the batter.
  8. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the top is deep golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with just a few dry crumbs. If the top is browning too fast after 30 minutes, tent loosely with a piece of foil.
  9. Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out using the parchment overhang and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing for clean edges.

Notes

The loaf slices most cleanly after it has rested overnight at room temperature, loosely wrapped. The spice flavor also sharpens noticeably by day two.