ISO Cake Recipe: Tight crumb spice cake

[gfron1]

I am looking for a cake recipe. I want to match Pierre Hermes cocoa cake texture. Tight crumb sponge cake. But I want a spice cake. Any thoughts?

 

And for shits and grins I'm wondering - It shouldn't work but...the PH recipe calls for 8% cocoa powder to the whole recipe. What if I simply subbed with spice? The larger question is what role cocoa powder has in cake structure?

[Lisa Shock]

Depending on the brand, cocoa powder can contain quite a bit of fat -Moreso than most spices. It's ground finer than most spice, so the texture is finer. I'd just sub cake flour for all but about 1 oz and make that ½oz spices plus ½oz oil.

 

IMO, 8% spice would be practically inedible and possibly dangerous, depending on the spice. The oil in cloves can burn the skin if it's in high enough concentration. A roommate of mine, years ago, burned herself by putting a bunch of it in a bath. Cinnamon would also be potentially painful, and large amounts of nutmeg, while not as hallucinogenic as rumored, can also be toxic.

[Smithy]

Wild thought here, in light of Lisa's comments on cocoa fat and on spice concentration: suppose you used mesquite flour in place of some of that spice? No fat that I know, and a spicy flavor, but AFAIK not hazardous in concentrations like the spices she noted.

[JohnT]

What spices were you thinking of? I do not have any PH books to see his structure, so am just trying to visualise something along the lines of a fine pound cake (a fine structure) with cocoa and spices - cinnamon, ginger and a touch of nutmeg should make the taste buds tingle but would they compliment the cocoa?

[gfron1]

Pound would be too much butter, but that crumb is similar. I went ahead and did the cocoa cake and burred my spices with sugar totaling 60 g (v. 85 g) and it wasn't too spicy. We'll see when I cut into it tomorrow if the crumb is correct. Thanks and I'll report back.