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This homemade Spice Cake is soft, moist, and full of warm cinnamon and spices, then topped with rich cream cheese frosting. I usually make this as an easy sheet cake but this recipe also works as a layer cake or cupcakes too, so it’s a great recipe for any occasion. It’s not just a fall cake: my husband and his brother constantly ask for this recipe for their birthdays too!
Spice Cake has always been a tradition in Mel’s family and I first made this for his brother several years ago. Since then I’ve fine-tuned the recipe and make it for his brother every year. It’s a moist spice cake very similar to carrot cake but has more spices (and no carrots). It’s totally straightforward to make with simple pantry ingredients. This classic cake is delicious with the tang of cream cheese frosting that helps the cake from being too sweet and lets all the warm cinnamon spice flavors stand out.
Spice Cake Ingredients
- To make a moist cake, I love using vegetable oil and applesauce. Oil cakes stay moist longer and using unsweetened applesauce adds more moisture without adding so much oil that the finished cake is greasy.
- Brown sugar is a softer sugar and keeps the cake softer for longer, while adding a little extra flavor from the molasses in the brown sugar (we also add a little bit of molasses to the cake).
- Spice cake needs lots of spice! Use ground spices: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. These make it perfect for fall and winter, but are good all year too.
- The luscious cream cheese frosting is my classic recipe with block cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt.
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Dorothy’s Testing Notes
- The easiest way to make the cake is in a 9×13-inch cake pan, but it can also be made as an 8- or 9-inch layer cake or 24 cupcakes.
- Make the entire amount of frosting, but for sheet cake you may not need it all.
- Because the cake is made with oil, there is no creaming needed, making this doable by hand (but a stand mixer or hand mixer is fine too).
- The cake will get very brown on top before it’s done.
- You know spice cake is done when a toothpick comes out from the center of the cake with just a few dry crumbs.
Spice Cake Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
- 2 ½ cups (304g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup (127g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (350g) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
FOR THE FROSTING:
- 16 ounces (456g) cream cheese , softened
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter , softened
- 6 cups (678g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×13-inch pan or two 8-inch round cake pans, or 24 cupcakes.
- Whisk salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and flour in a medium bowl.
- Whisk eggs until beaten, then whisk in oil, applesauce, vanilla, brown sugar, and molasses. Whisk until combined, then add dry ingredients and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined.
- Place batter in pan (or divide amongst pans evenly). Bake until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, approximately 26-30 minutes for a 9×13-inch pan. Top will brown considerably.
- Let the cakes completely cool before removing from the pan and frosting.
- To make the frosting: beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture comes together, then add vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth. Frost top of cake (or frost layer cake as desired). For a 9×13-inch pan, you’ll use about ¾ of the frosting, but you’ll need all of it for a layer cake.
- Store loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cake can be frozen with or without frosting for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to make Spice Cake
- Always whisk your dry ingredients for cake first.
- The cake batter will be thin before adding the flour mixture and a pourable batter once mixed.
- Make sure to grease and flour your cake pan.
- Let the moist cake cool before frosting.
