Nutmeg and Easy-Peasy Make Each Week Cake

Nutmeg! I'd never been a fan of its powdered form, believing it overpowering and useful only in fall-based dishes, a la pumpkin pie. But then I splurged a hard earned six dollars on a nutmeg grinder, and trust me, it is a worthy splurge. Rather than overpowering the dish, it just adds a background of warmth.

Nutmeg is a spice native to Indonesia, and one of the spices along the famous Silk Road. It was one of the many that drove 15th century explorers to seek new routes, trying to find a way around Africa in order to reach the exotic goods of Asia. Today, of course, nutmeg is much easier to obtain, with the Caribbean or your local Whole Foods being an excellent source. According to On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, the chemical components of nutmeg create fresh, pine, citrus, floral, woody, and warm notes. As noted above, it is a necessary component of pumpkin pie, as well as eggnog, Béchamel sauce, and spiced cider. It's handy added to pie crust, mashed potatoes, baked butternut squash and chocolate chip cookies. And it's downright delicious in this cake, which is a danger to me because I believe the wheat flour makes it healthy and therefore ok as a breakfast option.

I took this one from Molly, who borrowed from Edna Lewis.

1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
A few generous gratings of nutmeg, or to taste
½ cup whole milk at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter

In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. One by one, add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, and beat to blend.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.

Add about ¼ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat on low speed to incorporate. Add 1/3 of the milk or yogurt, and beat again. Add the remaining flour mixture in three more doses, alternating each time with a bit of milk or yogurt, and beating to just combine. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir to incorporate any flour not yet absorbed.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly across the top. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (This cake seems to want to brown quickly on top, so after about 20 minutes, you might want to peek into the oven and tent the cake with aluminum foil, if necessary.) Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes; then remove the sides of the pan and continue to cool.

Serve at room temperature. Or slightly warm, if you want. Me, I can't wait for room temperature.