Best Ever Homemade Spice Cake
This homemade spice cake tastes like fall in every moist and decadent bite. It’s an easy and straightforward recipe that even novice bakers will have no problem executing. And let’s face it, homemade always trumps store bought or any boxed spice cake mix! There’s an abundance of warming spices, including cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg — they truly put the spice in spice cake. The cake is paradoxical in that it is fluffy and soft yet just dense enough so you can really sink your teeth into it. Plus, the density allows this two-layer spice cake to accommodate an ample amount of cream cheese frosting. This homemade cream cheese frosting is so thick, creamy, sweet yet tangy, and so easy to make! This year, instead of serving my usual Pumpkin Pecan Pie and Apple Pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert, this festive layer cake with cream cheese frosting is calling my name.
Spice Cake Ingredients
Making this spice cake recipe from scratch is an aromatic experience that’s better than any expensive candle, and that’s all due to the spices. Here’s what you’ll need:
For the Spice Cake:
All-purpose flour Baking soda Baking powder Salt Cinnamon Ground ginger Allspice Ground cloves Ground nutmeg Light brown sugar Vegetable oil Buttermilk Applesauce Molasses Eggs Vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
Cream cheese Unsalted butter Confectioners’ sugar Vanilla extract Salt
Optional Toppings and Decorations:
Pie dough Packaged caramels Dark chocolate Pretzel sticks Pecans Fall sprinkles
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This gorgeous old-fashioned spice cake recipe is not difficult to make. Follow my straightforward steps for the best homemade spice cake:
Decorating the Cake (Optional)
To make decorative leaves: Form them with leaf cookie cutters from pie crust (homemade or refrigerated store bought) and pop them in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes. To make the acorns: Shape soft square caramel candies with your fingers. Break up some pretzel sticks and crush some into a fine crumbs. Microwave dark chocolate to melt it, dip the bigger end of each acorn in it, then dip in the pretzel crumbs, insert a pretzel rod for the stem, and set aside to chill and firm up.
Make-Ahead Instructions
The cake by itself can be baked and kept airtight at room temp for up to 48 hours before you plan to frost and serve it. If you’re contemplating making it in advance, do not frost the cake until the day of serving. At which point I like to make the frosting which only takes 5 minutes, assemble and frost the cake, and then put the whole thing in the fridge to chill for 4 to 6 hours. Once you frost the cake, I recommend keeping the cake stored airtight in the fridge.
More Spiced Cake Recipes:
Spiced Toffee Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting — Looking for recipes using spice cake mix? Make this spiced toffee cake! It’s an EASY, soft, and fluffy spice cake with toffee bits inside and on top!! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Fresh Apple Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — An EASY, one-bowl, no-mixer apple cake that’s to-die-for!! Loaded with juicy apples in every bite, perfectly spiced, and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting!
Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — A tender and moist classic two-layer carrot cake with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting!
Pumpkin Poke Cake — Easy and the BEST PUMPKIN CAKE ever!! Two kinds of CARAMEL sauce, TOFFEE bits, CHOCOLATE CHIPS, whipped topping and more!! A total WINNER you must make!!
