By Week 412. Year 8. Tommy is 41. Winter quiet. The journal open on the kitchen table. The recipes accumulating. Mama (68) in the cottage, slowing but cooking. The gumbo on the stove because winter demands gumbo the way spring demands crawfish and the demanding is the tradition and the tradition is the life.
Made turtle soup this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. The roux keeps turning.
After the turtle soup was gone and the house had settled back into its winter quiet, I wanted to end the week with something sweet — not fancy, just warm and reliable, the way the best things in a kitchen always are. Mama has always said a good spice cake is proof that you were paying attention to the season, and this week, with the journal open and the roux still turning in my mind, these bars felt exactly right. Salted caramel on top of warm winter spice: that’s the kind of dessert that tells whoever walks through the door that the welcome isn’t over yet.
Spice Cake Bars with Salted Caramel Icing
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 24 bars
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Salted Caramel Icing:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Prepare the pan. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy lifting.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice until evenly combined.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, sour cream, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined — do not overmix. The batter will be thick. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until the center is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then use the parchment overhang to lift onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the salted caramel icing. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and stir constantly for 2 minutes until the mixture bubbles and deepens in color. Pour in the heavy cream carefully and stir to combine. Remove from heat and whisk in the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and sea salt until smooth and pourable.
- Ice and finish. Pour the warm icing over the cooled bars and spread to the edges. Sprinkle the top with a pinch of additional flaky sea salt. Allow the icing to set for at least 30 minutes before slicing into 24 bars.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 215 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 185mg