A retro recipe from the 1960s when British cooks were becoming more creative.
Taken from one of Pork Belly’s vintage recipe books, Cookery in Colour, edited by Marguerite Patten, it marries the warming spices of cinnamon and nutmeg with the aromatic flavours of Angostura Bitters.
It’s made even more special with a Port o’ Spain frosting – named for the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, where Angostura is still brewed using the traditional, secret recipe.
Our version is dairy free, and in keeping with the retro style we’ve kept the Imperial measurements.
Chocolate spice cake
A rich and slightly spicy sponge cake with a very special frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces plain flour
- 3 tsp baking powder level teaspoons
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder level tablespoons
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 6 ounces butter or margarine we used Flora vegan butter
- 5 ounces caster sugar
- 2 tbsp golden syrup level tablespoons
- 3 eggs medium
- 3 ounces finely chopped dates or nuts we used half nuts half dates
- 1 tsp angostura bitters
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- 4 tbsp milk we used almond milk
For the Port o' Spain frosting
- 10 ounces icing sugar sieved
- 5 ounces butter we used Flora vegan butter
- 1 tsp angostura bitters
- 1 dessert spoon milk we used almond milk
- toasted almonds and glace cherries (optional decoration)
Instructions
- Grease and line 2 x 8 inch sandwich tins
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, gas mark 4
- Sieve the flour, baking powder, spices and cocoa into a bowl
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and smooth
- Add the syrup, then the eggs one at a time, beating well to avoid curdling
- Stir in the dates or nuts, the angostura bitters and the vanilla essence
- Fold in the sieved dry ingredients a little at a time, adding the milk gradually
- Pour the mixture evenly into both sandwich tins
- Bake for 30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean
- Set aside to cool
For the Port o' Spain frosting
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Add the angostura bitters and milk and mix until smooth
- Sandwich a little of the frosting between the two cakes
- Smooth a thin layer of frosting on the top and down the sides of the cake
- Decorate with almonds and cherries
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