Wow, oh wow. I have been dreaming of fall for the whole year (ok, that might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but foodwise– fall is my element). I love seasonal food, and the deep spices of fall just do something good for your soul. You guys with me? That’s why I’ve been waiting for a LONG time to share my Brown Sugar Glazed Spice Cake with you! It combines all those cozy fall feelings into one delicious fall dessert!
To say I like fall spices is an understatement. I ADORE all fall flavors. There is something about fall spices that makes me feel like I’m getting a giant hug. It reminds me of holidays and family, of crisp weather and cozy blankets, and it warms me right down to my toes. Maybe that’s why everyone freaks at the first signs of fall weather, because fall just feels like home.
That’s why you need this spice cake in your life. Ladies (and gents), its the Fallidays. Its time to bust out the spices and make this fall dessert.
Honestly, I might have outdone myself with this cake. This may be one of the best things I’ve ever made. This Brown Sugar Glazed Spice Cake is a perfect fall dessert or brunch cake, and pairs beautifully with a cup of afternoon tea or coffee. The combination of spices also makes it a great holiday dessert (trust me, I’m already planning on making this during all the holidays)!
How to make this delicious Fall dessert
Plantains? Who are you?: Using plantains in baked goods
This cake has a secret ingredient: plantains. Plantains are banana’s lesser known cousin. They are bigger, starchier and always eaten cooked. Green Plantains are savory and yellow and brown plantains are sweet. For the best results in this recipe, use very ripe plantains. Go for the ones that have black spots or that are mostly black. Those work great for this cake! While plantains do get softer the longer they ripen, they do not become a mushy mess like bananas do.
With that being said, do not substitute bananas for plantains in this recipe. The texture will be changed if you use bananas instead. And if you use bananas, it will have more of a banana bread flavor than a spice cake flavor.
Sweetener Substitutions
Not all of you may have molasses on hand. If you don’t go buy some now. Its definitely a holiday baking essential and a must have for fall dessert recipes. But if the store is a million miles away and you just want cake, have no fear, you can easily substitute honey or maple in place of the molasses. I used molasses in this recipe because of its deep rich flavor. It really brings out the flavor of the spices. So I highly recommend using molasses if you have some!
Let's make some spice cake! Your favorite Fall dessert
I like to mix this cake in my ninja blender with the food processor attachment. It makes clean up a lot easier mixing the cake in the food processor because you need to blend the plantains anyway. You can try using something else to mash them, but it will take more time because they are harder than bananas .
And if you want to talk about blenders let me tell you about a blender. I love my Ninja blender! Definitely a kitchen tool I couldn’t live without. It has 3 different attachments: blender, food processor, and single serve blender. These all attach to the same base so it is definitely a space saver, and since I have a tiny kitchen saving space is a necessity. Also, I think in general, if you eat AIP or Paleo, having a blender for cooking is ABSOLUTELY necessary. I have had mine for about 4 years, and she is still going strong. This blender is pretty similar to the blender I currently own. Ok, I’m done raving. Back to the usual program.
Mixing the spice cake batter
Slice your plantains in half and cut the ends off of them. Next, make an incision longways down the peel, and remove the peel from the plantain. Do this for all the pieces of plantain. Put them into the blender and blend on high until the mixture seems smooth. You may have to stop a few times and scrape the sides down to make sure the mixture doesn’t have any clumps.
Next add maple, molasses, and coconut oil to the blender, and blend until well incorporated. Once it is well mixed, add all the dry ingredients to the blender. Mix again until well incorporated. When everything is mixed, add the apple cider vinegar and blend one more time.
Batter will be thick and almost dough like. Pour batter into a prepared 8 in round pan or 9 in pan and spread evenly. Put the cake in the oven at 375 for 25-30 min for an 8 in and 20-25 min for a 9 in. I used an 8 in round for the cake in the pictures.
Brown Sugar Glaze
While the cake is baking, start on the “Brown sugar” glaze. First mix the coconut sugar into the coconut milk. The sugar will start to dissolve and make a smooth almost caramelly mixture. Next add in the coconut butter and mix until smooth.
For best results work with room temperature ingredients. Coconut butter tends to solidify when it gets cold and could become difficult to work with. Once the cake is done let it cool and then cover with the glaze. Now you can enjoy your delicious fall dessert!
For the best enjoyment, share it with someone you love and pair it with a cup of hot tea 🙂
Brown Sugar Glazed Spice Cake (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ripe plantains
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup Arrowroot flour may substitute tapioca
- ⅓ cup cassava flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Brown Sugar Glaze
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon coconut butter or coconut mana
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
Cake Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Slice your plantains in half and cut the ends off of them.
- Next, make an incision longways down the peel and remove the peel from the plantain. Do this for all the pieces of plantain.
- Put them into the blender and blend on high until the mixture seems smooth. You may have to stop a few times and scrape the sides down to make sure there are no big clumps of plantain.
- Next add maple, molasses, and coconut oil to the blender and blend until well incorporated.
- Once it is well mixed, add all the dry ingredients to the blender. Mix again until smooth.
- When everything is well blended, add the apple cider vinegar and blend one more time.
- Batter will be thick and almost dough-like. Pour batter into a prepared 8 in round pan or 9 in pan and spread evenly.
- Put the cake in the oven at 375 for 25-30 min for an 8 in 20-25 min for a 9 in
Brown Sugar Glaze
- Mix the coconut sugar with the coconut milk until it is completely dissolved into the liquid.
- Add the coconut butter and stir until smooth.
That looks wonderful. I will have to try it.
Thank you! Let me know how it turns out!:)