Description
Cinnamon Spice Cream Cheese Cake delivers a symphony of warm, comforting flavors from Middle Eastern baking traditions. Delicate spices and creamy texture create a memorable dessert experience you’ll savor with each delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 2.5 cups (315g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz (225g) cream cheese, softened
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 2–3 tbsps milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Preparation: Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper for easy cake removal, ensuring smooth release after baking.
- Dry Ingredient Blend: Meticulously sift flour, granulated and brown sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together, creating a harmonious spice mixture with consistent texture.
- Wet Ingredient Fusion: Cream butter and cream cheese until luxuriously smooth, then integrate eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla extract, whisking until the mixture becomes light and aerated.
- Batter Construction: Gently fold dry ingredients into the cream mixture, alternating with buttermilk, maintaining a delicate touch to preserve the cake’s tender crumb and prevent overmixing.
- Baking Process: Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the surface evenly. Bake in a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 35-40 minutes, confirming doneness with a clean wooden pick test.
- Cooling and Glazing: Rest cake in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Once completely cooled, whip cream cheese for glaze, gradually incorporating powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to achieve a silky, pourable consistency.
- Finishing Touch: Drizzle glaze across the cake’s surface, garnishing with a light dusting of ground cinnamon to elevate both visual appeal and flavor profile.
Notes
- Prevent Over-Mixing: Gently fold ingredients to maintain a tender, light crumb without developing tough gluten strands that can make the cake dense.
- Temperature Matters: Ensure butter, cream cheese, and eggs are at room temperature for smoother blending and more uniform cake texture.
- Check Cake Doneness: Use the toothpick test carefully; insert near the center and look for minimal moist crumbs, avoiding completely dry or wet results.
- Glaze Consistency Hack: Control glaze thickness by adding milk or powdered sugar gradually, creating a drizzle that’s neither too runny nor too thick.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 363
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 145 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg