Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Moist homemade spice cake flavored with whiskey and autumn spices is topped with a decadent maple cream cheese frosting. Perfect for holidays or cozy family dinners, this dessert is a true crowd-pleaser!

Course Dessert - Cake

Cuisine American - Vintage

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 483kcal

Author Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

2 ½ cups sifted cake flour
11/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup whiskey

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese , room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter , room temperature
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup real maple syrup makes all the difference - I like the darker ones.
1 teaspoon maple extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 -3 cups confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tablespoons heavy cream , may need a little more

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 13x9-inch pan or two 9-inch round pans.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cayenne together in a large bowl - set aside.
Cream butter and both sugars together until light and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
Beat in the vanilla.
Whip on high speed until light and fluffy, 3 minutes or so.
Scrape sides a few times during beating.
Pour the buttermilk and whiskey in a cup.
While mixing on lowest speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk mixture.
Pour batter into the prepared cake pan(s).
Bake at 350F for 20 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Interior of cake will read 205℉ to 210℉ measured with an instant-read thermometer when done.
Let cool in pans for 10 minutes.
Turn out to finish cooling. You may leave the sheet cake right in the pan if desired.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until well mixed and creamy.
Add the flavorings and the syrup.
Whip until fluffy.
Add the confectioners' sugar slowly until you reach the consistency that you like.
Whip until very fluffy.
Add cream as needed for consistency.
This amount of cream cheese icing is enough to fill and frost 2 layers OR provide an extra thick layer on the sheet cake. You may want to cut the frosting recipe in half for the sheet cake unless you LOVE frosting like I do.

Notes

Storage:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let slices come to room temperature before serving for the best flavor.

This cake also freezes well for up to 3 months.

Tips:

Substitute: No whiskey? Substitute ginger beer, ginger ale, or apple juice.
Room temperature ingredients: Ensure your butter, eggs, and other dairy ingredients are at room temperature before you start baking. This helps everything mix together smoothly, resulting in a tender and even-textured cake.

Use fresh spices: The key to a flavorful spice cake is using fresh, high-quality spices. Ground spices can lose their potency over time, so check your pantry and replace any that have been sitting around for a while. Fresh cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger will make a big difference in the depth of flavor.

Don’t overmix: When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until everything is incorporated. Overmixing can lead to a dense, tough cake, which you definitely want to avoid.

Chill out: Leave out the cayenne if you prefer a less spicy spice cake.
Cool completely before frosting: Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack before frosting it. A warm cake will melt the frosting, making it difficult to achieve a smooth finish.

Let it rest: Most spice cakes are better the second day because the spices get a chance to mellow.

Nutrition