Warm spices, juicy currants, and crunchy walnuts-all in a tender Dutch Kruidkoek (spice cake). It's simple to mix, smells amazing in the oven, and slices beautifully with your coffee or tea.
In One Glance
- 🍰 Recipe name: Dutch Kruidkoek (Spice Cake) with Walnuts and Currants
- ⏱️ Prep time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Bake time: 1 hour
- 🕒 Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- 👨👩👧👦 Servings: 8 slices
- ⚡ Calories: ~326 kcal per slice (whole loaf ~2457 kcal)
- 🥄 Main ingredients: self-rising flour, Dutch speculaas spices, dark brown sugar, milk, walnuts, currants
- 😋 Taste: warm spice, deep caramel sweetness, nutty, tender crumb
- 🧾 Allergens: Contains gluten (wheat), milk (milk), nuts (walnuts). Free from eggs, soy, sesame, celery, mustard, crustaceans, and fish.
- 💚 Why make it? One bowl, no fuss, perfect with coffee or tea.
- 🧁 Difficulty: easy - stir, bake, cool
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Moist Dutch Kruidkoek (Spiced Cake) With Walnuts
Some cakes make the house feel like home the second they bake. This one does that-speculaas spices floating through the kitchen, a golden loaf cooling on the rack, and that first thick slice that's just sweet enough.
I keep this recipe on repeat because it's quick, pantry-friendly, and always welcome on the table. Stir, bake, let it rest a little, then enjoy with a bit of butter (if you like). Nothing fussy-just warm, spiced comfort.
What Do You Need?
You can find the exact amounts in the recipe card below.
- Self-rising flour: Structure and lift in one. Alternative: all-purpose flour + 2 teaspoons baking powder (for this amount).
- Dutch speculaas spice mix (speculaas/koek kruiden): The warm heart of the cake (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc.) - You can make your own homemade speculaaskruiden mix. Alternative: pumpkin pie spice.
- Dark brown sugar: Deep caramel flavor and moisture. Alternative: light-brown sugar for a milder taste.
- Milk: Brings the batter together. Alternative: lactose-free milk.
- White vinegar: Activates the leavening and tenderizes the crumb. Alternative: apple cider vinegar.
- Walnuts: Crunch and nuttiness. Alternative: pecans or leave out for nut-free.
- Currants: Juicy pops throughout. Alternative: raisins or chopped dates.
- Neutral oil (a little): For greasing the tin so the cake releases cleanly. Alternative: non-stick spray.
How to Make It
You can find the full step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below.
- Step 1: Mix dry, then wet: Whisk flour, spices, salt, and sugar.
- Step 2: Stir in milk and vinegar until smooth.
- Step 3: Stir in currants and chopped walnuts; pour batter into the lined tin.
- Step 4: Bake ~60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean; rest 5 minutes, then cool on a rack.
Top Tips
- For extra juiciness, soak currants 10 minutes in hot water (then pat dry).
- Line both the base and long sides with parchment for easy lifting.
- Let the cake cool fully before slicing for neat slices.
- Sweetness: Swap half the dark brown sugar for light-brown sugar for a lighter taste.
- Add a thin glaze (powdered sugar + milk) if you want a glossy top.
- Toast the walnuts first for a deeper, nutty flavor.
- The Dutch way: Nice with a swipe of butter.
Did you make this delicious recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram! I love to see what your creation looks like and regularly share the most beautiful photos of you! Did you like this recipe? Then leave a rating on the recipe card! Your feedback helps other home cooks and me enormously.
Need more inspiration?
- You can find video recipes on my YouTube channel.
- And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest, so you can easily find them again next time!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 5 teaspoons speculaas spice mix
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ¾ cup milk, + 1 tablespoon
- 3 tablespoons walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons currants
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to
380 °F or 350 °F. - Grease a 6-inch (15 cm) loaf/cake tin with oil and line the bottom with parchment.1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- Mix dry: In a bowl, combine self-rising flour, gingerbread spices, salt, and dark brown sugar. Stir well with a fork or whisk.2 cups self-rising flour, 5 teaspoons speculaas spice mix, ½ teaspoon salt, 1¼ cup dark brown sugar
- Add wet: Add vinegar and milk. Mix with a whisk until smooth (do not overmix).1 teaspoon white vinegar, ¾ cup milk
- Fold in currants and walnuts with a spatula.3 tablespoons walnuts, 3 tablespoons currants
- Pour batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let stand 5 minutes, then remove from tin and cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Orange twist: Add 1 tablespoon orange zest to the batter.
- Fruit swap: Replace currants with raisins or chopped dried apricots.
- Glazed top: Brush warm cake with 2 tablespoons warmed honey for shine.
- Chocolate chip: Fold in ¼ cup dark chocolate chips with the currants.
- Room temperature: Wrap well and keep up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Slice, wrap individually, and freeze up to 2 months.
Nutrition
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