This Easy Spice Cake brings the cozy vibes of fall right to your kitchen, with its moist texture and tangy cream cheese frosting.
This Spice Cake recipe is a fluffy and moist cake filled with your favorite flavors of fall. It bakes up beautifully and then is topped with a generous layer of smooth cream cheese frosting. The whole family will request it over and over again!
Fall is one of my favorite times to make cakes with all the flavors that are incorporated into this time of year. Other fall favorites of mine are my Spiced Pumpkin Crumb Cake, Apple Cake, and Gingerbread Cake!
Table of Contents
Why We Love Spice Cake
- Spice Cake captures the cozy essence of fall with its warm, flavorful spices.
- Its moist and tender crumb makes Spice Cake incredibly satisfying to eat.
- This Spice Cake recipe is so simple, perfect for home bakers of all levels.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Cinnamon: Adds a warm, sweet-spicy flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances all the flavors with its sweet, floral notes, making the spices pop.
- Applesauce: Brings natural sweetness and moisture, making the cake incredibly soft and delicious.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Spice Variation: You can swap out the ground cloves and nutmeg for some ground allspice. It adds a lovely warm, spicy flavor that’s just as delicious!
- Nutty Twist: Add 1 cup of finely chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter after combining wet and dry ingredients.
How to Make Easy Spice Cake
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and grease your 9×13-inch pan.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves and set aside.
Step 3: Using your stand mixer, beat the oil, brown sugar, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until combined.
Step 5: Next, pour your batter into your prepared pan.
Step 6: Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
Step 7: Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely. While the cake is baking or cooling, prepare your frosting.
Step 8: In your stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
Step 9: Then, add in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt and mix together until everything is combined well.
Step 10: Once your cake has completely cooled, spread the icing over the entire cake and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.
Step 11: Finally, serve and enjoy!
FAQs
Absolutely! If you don’t have a stand mixer, an electric handheld mixer works just fine. Just be sure to mix until the ingredients are well combined, following the same steps.
The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. This usually takes about 40-45 minutes, but oven temperatures can vary, so keep an eye on it.
Storage Info
To STORE the cake, cover it tightly and keep it in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks. To FREEZE the cake, double wrap it in plastic wrap, but I do recommend making the cream cheese frosting fresh. The cake will stay good for up to 2 months.
When you’re ready to enjoy it, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. To REHEAT, pop a slice in the microwave for about 20 seconds.
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Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup applesauce
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and grease your 9×13-inch pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves and set aside.
- Using your stand mixer, beat the oil, brown sugar, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until combined.
- Next, pour your batter into your prepared pan.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely. While the cake is baking or cooling, prepare your frosting.
- In your stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
- Then, add in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt and mix together until everything is combined well.
- Once your cake has completely cooled, spread the icing over the entire cake and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.
- Finally, serve and enjoy!
Moist, cozy, and so flavorful, I’ll be making this again!