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I love this Amish Sour Cream Spice Cake recipe and I think you will too! But first, lets do a deeper dive into the background.
🥛 The Amish and Sour Cream
With milk and cream usually being found in abundance in Amish farmsteads, sour cream isn't far behind! Many Amish cooks value sour cream for the flavor it adds to dishes. And unlike the sour cream you by commercially, many Amish cooks have true home-fermented sour cream, which I think the flavor of that is even better!
Sour cream has a slightly tart, tangy flavor and a thick, creamy texture. It is a popular condiment in many cultures and is used in a variety of dishes, including baked goods, soups, stews, dips, and sauces. Sour cream is also a good source of protein, calcium, and other nutrients.
🎂 The Amish and Cake
Amish homemakers who have a house full of children are understandably busy. Yet these same children keeping them so busy also like their desserts. Cake is a quick and easy sweet to simply "stir and bake." So easy is part of the appeal. Another reason Amish cooks keep cake on hand? Company. Yes, among the Amish simply "dropping in" while perhaps considered rude in mainstream culture is still very much a part of Amish life. And if someone drops in, feeding them is considered polite. Having a cake on hand at all times is common. There is even an Amish cake called Cake for Company.
📜 Step-By-Step Amish Sour Cream Spice Cake
Spice cakes are flavor-filled wonders anyway, but the addition of sour cream really adds texture and depth. Plus, top it with this amazing brown sugar frosting and you have a sure-fire winner. Although you could also use a cream cheese frosting. I've lemon frosting goes well with this too.
In a large bowl, cream shortening with sugars. Add sour cream and mix well. Add flour, baking soda, egg yolks, and allspice. Stir in vanilla extract and then fold in stiffly beaten egg whites to the mixture. You can use a stand mixer, an electric mixer on medium speed, or do it the Amish way with a wooden spoon.
Grease loaf pans or layer cake pans with butter or cooking spray and pour in the batter. This bakes in a 350 degree oven.
This is a popular recipe in Amish homes because it is easy, uses just basic ingredients, but still delivers a cake packed with flavor. One of our recipe testers described it as " something between gingerbread and spice cookies - but is not quite as strong as the scent suggests." So it addition to tasting great, it'll fill your kitchen with a flavorful scent.
Most Amish cooks would use a delicious homemade sour cream which would add a level of freshness that you probably couldn't quite get with store-bought, but go ahead and use it if that is all you have access to. While the cake is flavorful without frosting, I - of course:) - would probably add frosting. Could be a delicious breakfast as well as a dessert. So, enjoy!
As with most recipes, you can add your own variations. I think a teaspoon of cinnamon in this cake would be a nice addition. So would a teaspoon of nutmeg or ginger. And you could just use cinnamon and or nutmeg if you don't have allspice. A half cup of molasses would make this a spice-molasses cake if you like molasses, it would also make the cake darker.
You can apply a nice, basic frosting to it if you wish, but I love the brown sugar frosting (pictured above). You can use a loaf pan or a layer cake pan. Cool the cake on a wire rack before you frost it. If you frost it while the cake is warm, the cake will crumble, so don't do that. Otherwise, you'll get a nice Pinterest or Facebook photo-worthy cake!
🙋 FAQ Sour Cream Spice Cake
You can swap out allspice for cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice. Or a blend of the three. Either would give you a similiar flavor profile that allspice would provide.
Plain yogurt or Greek yogurt are great alternatives if you don't have sour cream.
Yes, you can make the cake and freeze in an airtighter container for up to four months.
🎂 More Amish Cake Recipes
🖨️ Full Recipe
Amish Sour Cream Spice Cake With Delicious Brown Sugar Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 /2 cup shortening
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¾ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening with sugars.
- Add sour cream and mix well.
- Add flour, baking soda, egg yolks, and allspice.
- Stir in vanilla and then fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.
- Bake in loaf or layer pans in 350 degree oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
Joyce
Kevin, Trying to email you but your box is full. Have info for you.
Larry Babel
How long does one bake the cake ..????
Noreen
25 minutes to bake - approximately since the directions say Prep time 15 minutes and cook time 25 for total time 40!!!
Hope to bake this this weekend!!!
Virginia
The top of the recipe says cook time is 25 minutes...;)
Penny
Is there granulated sugar also?
Jo
I was hoping you could share the ecipe for the "Brown Sugar Frosting" as it wasnt icludd. Thank You 🙂
Kevin Williams
There is a link to it in the post about the cake!
Joey Goff
Where is the brown sugar frosting recipe??
Kevin Williams
There is a link to it in the post about the recipe!
Glenda
In the Amish Sour Cream Spice Cake, can butter be substituted for the shortening amount?
Kevin Williams
Yes, you can swap out shortening for butter!
Mollie
Kevin,
I will be 95 in a few days so I can remember when people were trying to recover from the depression. At that time people would go hunting for rabbit and squirrel because they couldn't afford to purchase other meat. If the person who prepared the animal (rodent) didn't check the meat carefully (especially the liver) they could get very sick with what we called, rabbit fever. I don't know the technical name for it. I remember hearing about several women who got very sick and/or died after preparing the meat.
I saw one lady who apparently poked her finger with a rabbit bone when she prepared
a rabbit for a meal. Her finger was so infected it looked like it would need to be removed from her hand. She finally recovered but she was very sick and was bedridden for some time.
.
Hopefully our wonderful America won't get to the point of that kind of need again
Thank you and bless you for all you do..
Kevin Williams
Thank you, Mollie, for that informative post.I think it's important to preserve those memories and stories. I hadn't thought about the infection possibility, hopefully people will only eat rabbits if they want to, not because they have to. Happy 95th!!
Ann Brewster
My Uncle had rabbit fever. He was very sick but survived
Lynn Yarbrough
Mollie's comment was very spot on and one should hope that in this day and age in America that all of us should be able to go to the grocery store and purchase our meats and foods but I've heard that isn't the case in Mississippi and a few other states that poverty is so rampant that many folks do rely on hunting for varmints such as squirrel, rabbit, opossums and raccoons plus fish just to survive. My heart mourns for those that go "without" the basics that the majority of us take for granted.
You forgot "turkey" on your list of meats that you do consume or maybe it should be poultry to cover all the bases (just kidding with you). I'm looking forward to baking the sour cream spice cake!
God bless Mollie, Gloria, you and all of your readers!
Kevin Williams
Ah, good point, Lynn, how could I forget turkey???