Spice Cake (Plus VIDEO)

This incredibly moist, dense, and well-flavored two-layered Spice Cake is brimming with cozy fall flavors and frosted with sweet and tangy decadent cream cheese frosting. There’s a warm, comforting hug in every bite with its delectable homemade goodness. Indeed, the perfect cake to enjoy during fall’s chilly weather.

Contents… Why You Should Make This Cake Spice Cake Ingredients Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Serving and Storage Instructions FAQs What Goes with Spice Cake More Recipes to Try How to Make Spice Cake Watch How To Make It

Spice Cake is one of those cakes that makes me look forward to every fall season, along with Pumpkin Cake and Carrot Cake. Err! I really don’t have the willpower to resist them all. 😄

Especially this Spice Cake. Compared to our usual sweet desserts, spice cake has a bolder and more distinct flavor.

Interestingly enough, it’s not just sweet, but it’s also full of comforting goodness from spicy and savory flavors. And surprisingly, the spice mix really does a good job making our cake fabulously delicious. 😉

Why You Should Make This Cake

This cake recipe is undeniably the ultimate fall dessert of all time! The spices, such as cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger, make our cake incredibly addicting.

It delivers nothin’ but cozy and warm comforting goodness straight to your soul. Aah! Indeed, you’ll find solace in every forkful.

And, of course, the luscious cream cheese frosting perfectly balances this super dense and moist Spice Cake. The tangy and sweet flavor combination is the perfect highlight to this cheerful delight.

Spice Cake Ingredients

Just like all my other cake recipes, this one is super easy to make with minimal effort needed. Yay!!! In fact, it’s as easy as dump, mix, and bake. Even better, the ingredients are simple pantry staples, nothing fancy. You probably have everything you need in your pantry already.

Spice Cake

• All-Purpose Flour – I prefer all-purpose flour instead of cake flour because it’s sturdier. We want our spice cake to be pleasantly dense, not light and airy.
• Baking Powder – This ingredient gives our cake a beautiful rise. Baking is an art and a science, so make sure to measure your ingredients well. This is especially true when working with leavening agents such as baking powder.
• Salt – This one is crucial to every sweet dessert because it actually highlights the sweetness and balances the flavor. So don’t ever forget that pinch of salt. 😉
• Cinnamon, Allspice, Ginger, Nutmeg, and Cloves – This spice mix is the body and soul of this cake recipe. It’s also what gives our simple cake its warm and cozy holiday flavors. I’m pretty sure homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice or apple pie spices will work awesomely, too. Use about seven teaspoons, and you’re good to go.
• Butter, Vegetable Oil, and Sour Cream – Fat is the secret to the perfectly moist spice cake while adding richness, too. Plain yogurt or buttermilk can substitute sour cream using a 1:1 ratio. And I guarantee you it will still be as moist. 😉
• Brown Sugar and White Sugar – Besides sweetening our classic fall cake, brown sugar adds moisture and a slight molasses taste. White sugar adds sweetness and stabilizes the cake, giving it a solid structure.
• Eggs – The eggs are binders, keeping the cake together. They also add richness, right along with butter, oil, and sour cream.
• Molasses – You’ll love the extra robust flavor from molasses. However, our cake will still be as impressive without it. Or you can replace it with honey.
• Vanilla Extract – Have you tried making Homemade Vanilla Extract? It’s awesome! You only need two ingredients, and it’s done in about a minute or two. Well, at least the work is done in a couple of minutes. The wait is the hardest part. Oh yes!
• Pecans or Walnuts – Or you can add both! I just love adding my favorite nuts to this spice cake because the added texture and nutty flavor are truly bedazzling. It’s like a surprise treat in every bite.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream Cheese – If you’re a fan of cheesecake, then most certainly, you’re gonna love the cream cheese frosting, too. Imagine this cheesecake-like frosting covering the whole spice cake. Aah! So mouthwateringly delish!
• Butter – And, of course, butter makes everything better! Especially when you mix it with cream cheese. The added creaminess and buttery flavor are just simply exceptional.
• Vanilla Extract – It is best if you don’t skip on this flavor enhancer. The added vanilla flavor in the background certainly takes this baked dessert up a notch. However, spiced rum would be a suitable replacement if you don’t have vanilla extract.
• Powdered Sugar – Well, aside from adding sweetness, it also stabilizes the frosting. Granulates sugar won’t work because you’ll feel the graininess. If you don’t have powdered sugar, grind granulated sugar in your blender until it’s powdered.

Recipe Variations

• Spice Cake Muffins or Cupcakes – Who doesn’t love muffins? It’s the ultimate comfort food ever! 😍 Grease a 12-well muffin pan, divide the cake batter between them all and halve the baking time. Done! I bet you’ll be enjoying these babies as much as the spice cake.
• A Boozy Kick – Liven up your taste buds with a splash of bourbon or rum to ramp up the flavor of our cozy cake. Oh yes!
• Chocolate Spice Cake – And of course, it tastes best with chocolate flavor, too. The addition of cocoa powder will definitely do the trick!
• Caramel Spice Cake – You can also try it with caramel frosting instead of the usual cream cheese frosting. You can use the caramel frosting from my Caramel Cake here.
• Spice Bundt Cake – If you prefer not to frost your spice cake, you may opt to turn it into a bundt cake instead. Yum!

The spice mix from this recipe or Pumpkin Pie Spice is so versatile you can actually add it to any baked goodies to add more flavor. Like these recipes below:

• Pumpkin Banana Bread – Enjoy this 2-in-1 dessert featuring pumpkin and banana bread. Infusing it with warm holiday spices makes it even tastier.
• Carrot Cake – Indeed, it makes this carrot cake here more scrumptious. You will absolutely love carrot spice cake.
• Sweet Potato Casserole – Aside from carrots and pumpkins, the spices taste better with sweet potatoes, too.
• Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies – Our favorite chocolate chip cookies are healthier because of the added pumpkin puree and spices. They’re equally delicious but more nutritious. 😉

Tips and Tricks

• Feel free to adjust the spices if it’s too strong or too mild for you. Go for milder if you want to make it more kid-friendly.
• Bring all the ingredients to room temperature before starting to ensure the cake cooks evenly.
• Remember to measure your ingredients correctly for best results.
• Don’t overmix the batter, or else you’ll end up with a rubbery cake.
• Let the cake cool completely before frosting because you don’t want your frosting to melt. And you don’t wanna have to clean up the mess. Oops!
• You can use plain yogurt or buttermilk to replace sour cream. Don’t skip on this acidic ingredient because it activates the baking powder and contributes to the cake’s mouthwatering moistness.

Serving and Storage Instructions

I actually prefer to serve this the following day to give the flavors time to develop. Just remember to cool the cake completely before storing it.

• Storage – Wrap the unfrosted cake with a plastic wrap tightly to avoid the air from getting in because refrigerating or freezing the cake, unwrapped, will surely dry out the cake. If already frosted, it’s best to store it in an airtight container meant for cakes so that you don’t mess up the frosting.
• Refrigerate – you can store the cake in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freeze – or freeze it for longer shelf life. It freezes well for up to 3 months.

Serving

• Thaw – When ready to serve, thaw the frozen cake overnight inside the fridge.
• Frost – Proceed to assemble and frost the cake as instructed.

Pro Tip: Do the same in storing leftover Spice Cake. It’s much better to slice the cake first and freeze them for at least 15 minutes before wrapping the individual slices with plastic wrap and then foil. That way, you won’t need to thaw the whole thing if you only want a slice or two.

FAQs

What Goes with Spice Cake

Our Spice Cake recipe is already perfect on its own with its cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts. But you can always explore and try other flavors and additions like these below.

• Candied Pecans
• Caramel Sauce
• Whipped Cream
• Rum Raisin Pineapple Ice Cream

Or enjoy our slice of cake paired with hot or cold beverages below.

• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Coquito
• Ginger Tea
• Chai Tea Latte
• Lemonade

More Recipes to Try

• Pumpkin Cake
• Carrot Cake
• Jamaican Easter Spice Bun
• Pumpkin Bread
• Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans

How to Make Spice Cake

Combine Dry Ingredients

• Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C. Grease two 10-inch pans generously with baking spray and set them aside.
• Mix Dry Ingredients – Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium bowl. Set aside. (Photos 1-2)

Combine Wet Ingredients

• Cream Butter, Oil, and Sugar – In a large bowl, cream the butter, oil, and sugar at high speed in a stand mixture or hand mixer until it’s fluffy and pale, about 4-5 minutes. Then, add the sour cream. (Photos 3-4)
• Add the Eggs – Stir in the eggs a little at a time, beating the mixture well between each addition. (Photos 5-6)

Make the Cake Batter

• Add the Flour Mixture – Next, mix in flour mixture, followed by the molasses and vanilla extract. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined. DO NOT over mix. As you go, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. (Photos 7-9)
• Pour and Tap – Pour batter into greased cake pan. Then tap the pans on the work surface to eliminate the large air bubbles. (Photo 10)
• Bake – at 325℉/163℃ until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-30. Let it cool. Proceed with the frosting.

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

• Whisk – cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until creamy. You may use a mixer if desired.
• Sift and Mix – Gradually sift in the powdered sugar and mix as you go along until smooth.
• Add Pecans – Finally, stir in the pecans.
  

Assemble the Cake

• Frost – Place the first cake layer on a serving platter. Spread about 1½ cups of cream cheese frosting over the cake layer. Top with the second layer, add more frosting over the cake layer.
• Spread Frosting – Top with the remaining cake layer. Spread the rest of the frosting over the top and sides of the cake. (Photo 11)
• Garnish – with pecans and spices if desired. (Photo 12)

Watch How To Make It

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