Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Old fashioned spice cake has a decadently rich cream cheese frosting and is full of warm fall flavors like cinnamon and cloves. Each bite melts in your mouth – it’s so moist and delicious that no one can resist a bite! (Although this is a layer cake you can easily make as a single layer)

Ingredients for This Spice Cake Recipe

For this recipe you’ll need:

• Cake flour is used to give the cake a softer, more delicate texture. You can substitute all-purpose flour if you wish.
• Baking powder and baking soda are both used to leaven the cake and make it light and fluffy.
• Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg are classic autumn spices and work beautifully in this cake. You could also use pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or add a little ground ginger and/or allspice
• Chipotle powder (ground chipotle) is optional but I always add it to my spice cakes because it has a smoky heat that works well with the cinnamon.
• Butter is needed for the fat and flavor.
• Brown sugar and granulated sugar are both used. The brown sugar gives flavor but also helps the cake stay moist.
• Eggs are pasture raised, large eggs.
• Vanilla helps to sweeten the cake – sometimes I use a splash of bourbon instead.
• Buttermilk works with the baking soda to help the cake rise – plus baked goods made with buttermilk have a softer texture.
• Confectioner’s sugar is an important ingredient in the buttercream frosting.
• Cream cheese gives the frosting a creaminess and adds flavor.
• Heavy cream is used to lighten the frosting and make it even richer.

The remaining ingredients are optional and used for the smoked pecan garnish.

• Pecans are roasted with other ingredients until they have a smoky flavor and then used to garnish the cake. They bring a nice salty-smoky flavor and crunchy texture.
• Smoked sesame oil adds some of the smoky flavor.
• Bacon grease also adds flavor to the pecans.
• Coarse sea salt is used to make the pecans salty.

Made from Scratch

Spice cake.

You know, there are fabulous spice cake recipes out there and terrible ones. Spice cake is admittedly not my favorite…it makes me think of the school lunch cafeteria in Jr. High school. Squares of stale boxed mix spice cake, with a decidedly artificial flavor and too sweet frosting….ick.

This cake is not that. It’s nowhere near that! It is to a boxed mix what Pavarotti is to singing in the shower.

Tips for Spice Cake Success

This is a simple cake to make but here are some tips I’ve learned over the years.

• Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature
• This cake will likely have a rounded top. Just carefully slice off the top to make it even.
• Don’t overmix or the cake will be tough.
• This cake freezes well unfrosted.
• You can make one layer by using a 13×9-inch pan. Fill it 3/4 of the way up and if there is left over batter use it for cupcakes.

Recipe FAQs

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.

What is spice cake made of?

Spice cakes are usually flavored some combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. Sometimes cardamom is added as well.

What can I substitute for the buttermilk in this cake recipe?

For each cup of buttermilk called for in the recipe you can use 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice plus enough whole milk to equal one cup. Stir gently and let stand for 5 minutes.

You can also substitute plain yogurt in an equal amount.

How can I make brown sugar if I don’t have any?

You actually can make your own brown sugar if you’re out. Just add 3 tablespoons of unsulfured molasses to a cup of sugar and stir well. Let it sit for 5 minutes or so and stir again before using.

What is allspice?

Allspice is made from dried berries of a particular plant. The flavor is similar to a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper all mixed up.

How to Make a Homemade Spice Cake Mix

Here’s another thing. You DO know that you can create your own cake mixes right? I mean if you need that time saving factor (raises hand…) you can mix the dry ingredients and keep them in a tightly covered mason jar in your pantry for a couple of months.

Some rainy weekend afternoon just call the kids in and make a bunch of cake mixes!

You can use dry milk if you like to make it where you only need to add water but I prefer just to leave the dry milk out and use real milk. When you are ready to bake just cream the butter and eggs, add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk and vanilla (or other flavoring) and …Voila!

More Old Fashioned Cake Recipes

Apparently my relatives liked cake because besides Grandma’s spice cake recipe I have more than enough others to make a different cake every day of the year for a very long time.

Here are some of my favorites.

• Banana Cake with Gooey Walnut Filling is pure comfort food, straight from grandma’s kitchen — that is if you had a grandma that baked. Tender layers of banana cake are filled with a walnut filling (similar to pecan pie), and frosting with a tangy-sweet whipped cream cheese frosting that’s so light it’s like biting into a cloud.
• Whisky Spice Apple Bundt Cake is moist and delicious with chunks of tart apple and just enough cinnamon and spice. Once baked you’ll turn this apple filled bundt cake out of the pan, brush with a whiskey syrup, and add a drizzle of whiskey caramel sauce. 
• Orange Layer Cake is made from scratch. Moist, rich butter cake layers are separated by whipped orange buttercream. This old-fashioned cake recipe is just right for any occasion from birthdays to boring days!
• Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake recipe has a luscious mocha buttercream frosting and is 3 layers of moist, fudgy decadence. 
• Classic Yellow Layer Cake is moist and buttery with a thick bittersweet chocolate frosting – just like that droolworthy layer cake you remember. I’ve included tips and tricks to make sure that your homemade cake comes out perfectly every single time. 

Old Fashioned Spice Cake Recipe

Spice cake is a sweet, tender cake redolent with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves then swathed in a whip of tangy cream cheese frosting that’s rich and sensuously creamy.

Sumptuous, smoky pecans add a salty contrast and crunch. One bite and you’ll know what this spice cake recipe is a favorite – it’s simply the best.

Need to adjust for high altitude? Check out the instructions from Utah State University.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️