Sep 21, 2011
I gave this a 4-star rating because Hubs rated it as such because he really enjoyed it, but we disagree in our review. I thought this fairly standard recipe was good enough, and certainly moist, but this is not a recipe I’d pull out again and make a point of making. Its biggest flaw is that a mere teaspoon of cinnamon is not enough spice to give this cake the flavor it needs. I don’t have an issue with cinnamon being the only spice used; it just needs a lot more of it – like maybe a full tablespoon! And I’d actually prefer the complexity of flavor that any combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, or allspice would contribute. Just as is, the taste falls flat. Complicating matters is the wimpy amount of frosting, which I didn’t use. A more traditional amount of frosting, 1/2 c. butter, 1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, 3-1/2 – 4 cups of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla is much more suitable. But Hubs disagreed. He liked it just fine. Three stars (barely) from me, four from him. I baked this as a 9” layer cake, about 33 minutes.
—naples34102
