I'll be interested to see how it comes out. That is a LOT of liquid for not much flour. 2 c flour to 3 cups liquid PLUS the eggs. Maybe it's the nature of the cake, but I've never made one with that much liquid to so little flour. Sounds good otherwise though. Report back, please.

Cake batter is usually pretty thin. I feel free to experiment and change recipes for entrees etc, but when I bake, I follow the recipe. I'm anxious to hear about your result.

I just re-read my comment. I sincerely hope it didn't come off too preachy. Not my intention at all.

Sol

Well, this was interesting. The cake baked up beautifully, and not at all dry, but it isn’t very sweet. The sweetness is on the level of, say, banana bread, rather than a traditional cake. Given the amount of sugar in the cake (which I know I got correct) I’m very surprised. It also doesn’t have the spicy bite I had hoped for. My nutmeg may have been six months old, but the ginger and cinnamon came straight from Pensey’s yesterday, and were sharp enough to clear the sinuses.

I suppose one might argue the spices were diluted, if in fact the “extra” flour was extra? But I’m not at all sure that is the problem. I think it will make for a nice breakfast cake, but not something one would serve for dessert. Or I might make a citrus drizzle icing for it. If I were going to make it again, I would add an extra cup of sugar, and I would double the spices.

Does anyone have a spicy cake recipe they might like to share? I’m looking for something dark and autumn-y. Get those recipes from Granny while you can — lesson learned for me.

I don't know how "spicy" you are looking for. This is an old favorite:

Applesauce gingerbread

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1 cup molasses
3 egg whites

Combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, spices, and stir to mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to mix well. Coat a 9x13x2 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes, or just until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake for at least 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature with a light whipped topping if desired.

Husband's newest favorite:

Potluck German Apple Cake

Ingredients

3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups chopped peeled tart apples (can use pears)
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (can use walnuts)

FROSTING:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Fold in apples and nuts. Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350̊ for 55-60 minutes (check at 45 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
2. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter. Add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth. Spread over cake. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12-16 servings.

angelaid, thank you. Both look good. For now, I might steal your cream cheese icing for this cake.

I love ginger cake! I haven't made if for awhile, but I seem to recall mine's a fairly thin batter as well.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup fancy molasses
1 cup hot water
2 1/2 cup AP flour
2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp EACH ground nutmeg and cloves

Grease and flour 10 inch bundt pan. Preheat oven to 300F

In bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy; beat in egg. Blend in molasses and hot water until combined; let cool for 10 minutes. In separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Stir in molasses mixture until combined and scrape into prepared pan.

Bake in 300F oven for about 50 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

MizLizzie, i would say you don't like that cake...not that the recipe was flawed. If you, an admittedly inexperienced cake baker starts adding "stuff" to a recipe, like sugar and flour, you are likely to make a big mess. Sugar acts like a liquid in baking....so adding more sugar is not a good idea
I think I would love that cake with a nice mound of whipped cream.
I suggest another recipe

sherri, I like the look of your recipe better than mine. Butter instead of oil. More flour and more ginger. Brown sugar. Will try that next.

This cake I found at Orangette gets raves. I do not use the glaze, but it's on her site. I also add cardamom and bake in small loaf pans. I feel the texture is better as it doesn't bake so long. MG

Applesauce Cake with Caramel Glaze

If you have only light brown sugar in the house, by all means,
use it. But having made the cake both ways, with light brown sugar and
with dark brown sugar, I prefer it with dark. The flavor is fuller, with
a different depth.

For the cake:

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 large eggs

1 cup (200 grams) sugar

½ cup (90 grams) dark brown sugar or muscovado sugar

1 ½ cups (360 grams) unsweetened applesauce (though the tiny amount of sweetener in this applesauce is fine)

2/3 cup (160 ml) vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a standard-size (12-cup) Bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, pepper, and spices, and whisk to mix well.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the eggs
with both sugars until light. Beat in the applesauce, oil, and vanilla
until smooth. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture,
and beat briefly, just to combine. Use a rubber spatula to fold gently,
making sure that all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape the
batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, until a
toothpick inserted in the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.
Cool the cake for 10 minutes in the pan on a rack before turning it out
and allowing to cool completely.

Some cakes are "soupier" than others. I always wonder if something is wrong when I make one that turns out that way. But it's always worked. I've never fiddled -- I never do the first time I make any recipe, though.

One of my favorite chocolate cake recipes is on the Hershey's box and it's very thin batter. It contains a cup of water, a cup of milk, 1/2 cup oil, a couple of eggs. The liquid/dry ingredient ratio is very close to the Penzey's recipe, and it turns out nicely every time. I'd have baked the batter without the 1/2 cup of flour, which may have made it denser or heavy.

Annie

MizLizzie, you had me at not sweet enough. That's right up my alley for dessert. I think I'll give your rendition a whirl sometime this fall -- with extra cinnamon and nutmeg (I don't care much for ginger in baked goods - it's great in Thai foods) for flair.

So dh just ate the last piece of Mistake Cake. With the addition of angelaid’s frosting, he declared it excellent. That said, don’t think I’d make it twice. But I will never again panic over too-thin batter. Lesson learned. Thanks, all.

The Texas Sheet Cake batter is very thin, too.

I also like the "not sweet enough" part. I don't know if my taste buds have changed but I even have to make my own ice cream because I think store bought is too sweet. So it's pleasant to have something that is just slightly sweet so that all the other tastes can shine through. My DH who has a huge sweet tooth has not complained yet.