4teaspoonsinstant espressocooled; or more or less to taste
Instructions
Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 10 inch bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, pepper, and salt until it is well mixed and lump free.
Stir vanilla into buttermilk in measuring cup.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.
Add eggs to butter mixture and beat until combined.
Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture, then half of the buttermilk mixture. Alternate adding flour and buttermilk, mixing until just combined and smooth, until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Add the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Glaze
Make one serving of instant espresso according to the package directions and leave it on a counter or put it in the refrigerator to cool.
In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla. Add cooled espresso one teaspoon at a time until you get the desired amount of coffee flavor, about 3-4 teaspoons, and whisk thoroughly.
If the glaze mixture is too thin after adding the desired amount of espresso, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar to thicken it up.
Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze evenly over the cake and let stand until the glaze hardens before serving.
Notes
*You can make your own buttermilk by adding a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk and letting it sit for about 10 minutes.