Spiced Plum Cake
Warming spices are paired with tart plums in this simple spiced plum cake. Choose plums that are semi-ripe, but not too soft. Plums are available in early autumn, however, feel free to use apples when...
Autumn Spice and Everything Nice
The season's most prominent flavours
As the days turn cool and the skies cloak themselves in overcast, I instinctively turn towards warmth and comfort. Autumn has arrived on the Island; its telltale signs not measured by temperature or precipitation, but rather by thick wool socks, cozy firesides, crunchy leaves and glorious seasonal fare laden with spice. Like cream with berries in summer, there is no better match than warming spices for cold weather.
From traditional apple pie to commodity pumpkin spice lattes, certain flavours are inescapable come September—cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger and allspice, along with the overlooked star anise and green cardamom, all fall under the umbrella of autumnal spices. Their diverse origins and traditional uses vary considerably, however, these spices have a natural affinity for each other and pair effortlessly with the season’s predominant ingredients.
Undeniably, cinnamon is the most pervasive, versatile and complex, ranging from strongly sweet and spicy cassias to the finer, less sweet and more subtle-tasting Ceylon. Indonesian cassia cinnamon is the most common in North America, yet it’s not uncommon to find the punchy, sweet and spicy Saigon or the delicate Sri Lankan Ceylon on the spice rack of aficionados. While Ceylon is often referred to as “real” cinnamon, all cinnamons are in fact genuine and originate from the same laurel species—variations in flavour and texture are solely a matter of harvest method and region. Cinnamon finds its way into a multitude of fall dishes both sweet and savoury—most notably apple, pear and pumpkin desserts, oatmeal, roasted vegetables, coffee and teas, cookies, spice cakes and stews.
Another Indonesian native is nutmeg, its sweet earthy notes complementing winter squash, roasted tubers and root veg, creamy pastas, quiche and a plethora of baked goods. And while not as common, you can’t mention nutmeg without the lesser-known mace—the reddish-brown webbing found on all nutmeg seeds. While they grow together, nutmeg and mace are not typically used together unless you prefer the traditional German lebkuchen spice as your seasonal blend of choice (guilty).
Easily overwhelming are cloves, the flower bud of the Indonesian Syzygium aromaticum plant. You’d know it if you’ve ever accidentally bitten into one, its pungent earthy flavour too powerful to use in more than scant quantities. Roast pork, beef and venison or pumpkin pie, braised red cabbage and spice cakes being some of its more common uses this time of year.
Hot, zesty and spicy ginger, another noteworthy addition to the season, comes from the rhizome of the ginger plant grown extensively in China and India. Its uses are so varied and extensive since time immemorial as to require a separate feature; however, powdered ginger is most commonly used in spice blends—pumpkin pie, apple pie and chai spice to name a few. On its own, ginger elevates soups with pureed apples, squash and carrot.
Sometimes called myrtle or Jamaican pepper, allspice is not a blend as the name would suggest. Reminiscent of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg, allspice is the dried unripe berry of the Pimenta Dioica tree and a traditional component in Caribbean food and drink. In North America, it appears more commonly in desserts but is also found in brown sugar glaze.
Lastly, while not as common this season, Chinese star anise and green cardamom deserve mention. Used whole, star anise creates a striking garnish in cocktails contributing notes of peppery-black licorice superb for savoury meat-based stews and roasts. And the queen of spices from India, green cardamom, with its resinous subtly sweet flavour, is a key component of chai spice and a natural complement for plums and other stone fruits.
My life could be measured in dashes of cinnamon and sprinkles of nutmeg and there is no comparison to their unabashed usage come autumn. Tart plums and plenty of spice baked into a tender cake served alongside hot coffee or tea is, by my definition, sublime autumnal comfort.
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