Spice Cake

This Spice Cake is a moist, luscious treat filled with fabulous fall spices and a simple five-ingredient cream cheese frosting. It is a must-try if you love pumpkin pie spices and fall baking. Pair it with a hot pot of fresh coffee, and you’ll have a slice of heaven.

Fall is in the air, and what better way to celebrate than with a delectable spice cake with loads of flavor? It is the perfect dessert for all your fall events, such as bonfires, Halloween, neighborhood shindigs, and Thanksgiving.

Applesauce keeps this perfectly balanced spice cake moist, and the super easy cream cheese frosting is fantastic! The spices in this cake are tasteful and pleasant, and one spice does not take over the cake or overpower another. If you like this cake, try my other flavorful cakes, like carrot cake, chocolate zucchini cake, and chocolate cherry cake.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Cake flour: Has less gluten than all-purpose for a lighter, more tender texture.
• Spices: Ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves make a delicious combination, but if you don’t like one, omit it.
• Vegetable oil: or substitute canola oil
• Unsweetened applesauce: Cut the brown sugar back to 1 1/4 cups if using sweetened applesauce.
• Milk: Preferably whole or 2%
• Butter: Unsalted or salted. If using salted butter, omit the added salt in the frosting.
• Cream cheese: Use full-fat block cream cheese. Do not use the whipped or spreadable cream cheese.
• Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar

How to Make Spice Cake

First, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and ground cloves in a medium bowl. Whisk the oil, applesauce, brown sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.

Pour into a well-greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for several hours.

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy with no lumps. Turn the mixer to medium and add the vanilla extract and salt.

Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and beater as needed. Spread the frosting over the fully-cooled cake.

Preparation Tips

• For accurate measuring, always scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon. Then, level it off with a table knife, pushing the excess back into the flour canister.
• Bring your eggs to room temperature before starting the cake.
• Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture just until incorporated. Over-mixing the batter can result in a tough, dense, and chewy texture.
• Do not over-bake, as this can lead to a dry cake. Cook just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check after 30 minutes and every 3 minutes after that.
• Soften your butter and cream cheese before preparing the frosting.

Store and Freeze

Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. Refrigerate leftovers covered well or in an airtight container, as this cake has a cream cheese frosting.

To freeze, cover with two layers of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

More Cakes to Love

Mini Cheesecakes

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

Rum Cake

Kentucky Butter Cake

Applesauce Cake

Apple Cake

Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A deliciously moist cake made with a tender crumb with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves topped with an easy four-ingredient brown sugar cream cheese frosting.

5 from 24 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 715kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Spice Cake

• 2 ½ cups cake flour or all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
• ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• ½ cup milk 2% or whole
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9-inch baking dish or pan.
• First, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and ground cloves.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, applesauce, brown sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
• Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for several hours on a wire rack.
• Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or hand mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter until it is smooth and creamy with no lumps. Turn the mixer to medium and add the vanilla extract and salt. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and beater several times as needed.
• Spread the frosting over the fully-cooled cake.

Notes

• For accurate measuring, always scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon. Then, level it off with a table knife, pushing the excess back into the flour canister.
• Bring your eggs to room temperature before starting the cake.
• Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture just until incorporated. Over-mixing the batter can result in a tough, dense, and chewy texture.
• Do not over-bake, as this can lead to a dry cake. Cook just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check after 30 minutes and every 3 minutes after that.
• Soften your butter and cream cheese before preparing the frosting.

Nutrition

Calories: 715kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 359mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 68g | Vitamin A: 593IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg

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