Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – ♥️🧡 Celebrate the cozy flavors of the fall and winter holiday season with this soft, moist, and richly spiced layer cake! Complete with scrumptious homemade cream cheese frosting, this classic spice cake is what holiday dessert dreams are made of!
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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:
- Make the cake: Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Separately, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the brown sugar together with the wet ingredients. Then, beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet, and mix just enough to combine the two.
- Divide the batter into the two 9-inch round springform cake pans and bake for 25 minutes. Cool the cakes completely before frosting them.
- Make the frosting: Beating together the cream cheese and butter, then add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Assemble the cake, add the frosting, and decorate as you wish (See Below).
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.
Recipe FAQs
I personally suggest baking your homemade spiced cake in two 9-inch round springform pans. I suggest springform pans because they’re truly the easiest to release your cakes after you bake them.
If you don’t have 9-inch round springform pans, the next best thing is two, high-sided (at least 2 inches high) 9-inch round cake pans. Do NOT use 8-inch round cake pans because they aren’t big enough to hold the volume of batter the recipe makes.
Spray the bottom of your nonstick cake pans extremely well with either cooking spray or floured cooking spray for baking. Then place parchment paper circles (you’ll have to get out your scissors and cut two out) on top of the baking sprayed pans. Spray again for good measure.
There’s one big reason to use applesauce, and that’s the moisture is brings to the cake. So yes, you should use it. The amount of natural moisture that applesauce lends to your layered spice cake can’t be replicated by any other ingredient and so I don’t recommend substituting it. And no, don’t worry, your spice cake won’t taste like apples. :)
Yes, buttermilk is necessary in this homemade spice cake recipe. Not only does it help by adding moisture and an almost imperceptible tanginess to the cake, which is played up as well with the tangy cream cheese frosting, but buttermilk helps the cake rise.
Do NOT swap buttermilk with regular milk such as 2% or whole milk thinking “it’s fine.” It’s not.
Here are my favorite buttermilk options:
1. My favorite inexpensive yet super functional buttermilk is from Trader Joe’s. They have it year-round and not just seasonally. However, if you don’t have a TJ’s in your area, your regular grocery store will have a couple options for buttermilk.
2. You can easily make your own right at home with just 2 ingredients. To 1 cup of 2% or whole milk (I don’t know about non-dairy milks), add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice, let stand for 10 minutes, and voila you will have “sour milk” aka buttermilk.
3. Use powdered buttermilk. Keep it in your pantry, reconstitute it with milk or water or what the package says. This is a great option if you want to put lots of buttermilk recipes on your baking list! 
For the best consistency and flavor, make sure you’re using brick style, full fat cream cheese. Anything labeled lite, low fat, spreadable or in a tub, contains lots of water which won’t work for making frosting.
Yes! If you don’t want to be bothered to make a layer cake, you can bake this cake as a 9×13-inch cake. Bake at 350F for approximately 25 to 28 minutes.
There’s nothing more decadent that homemade cream cheese frosting but if you need to take a baking shortcut, I recommend this Duncan Hines Cream Cheese Frosting. Buy at least two containers, possibly three, to make sure you have enough.
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Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Spice Cake
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup buttermilk*
- ½ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup molasses
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature (use brick style, do not use anything labeled lite, lowfat, or spreadable)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (do not skip sifting)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Optional Toppings and Decorations
- Pie crust dough
- Packaged caramels
- Dark chocolate
- Pretzel rods or sticks
- Pecans
- Fall sprinkles
Instructions
Spice Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray two 9-inch round springform pans OR two high-sided (at least 2 inches) 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray or floured cooking spray. Using scissors, cut out two circles of parchment paper and place them on the bottom of each cake pan. Spray again with the cooking and baking spray, making sure to get the sides; set pans aside. Tip – Do not use 8-inch round cake pans because they're too small and will overflow.
- To a large bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and whisk to combine the dry ingredients; set aside. Tip – If you like a spicier or more robustly flavored spice cake, feel free to add a bit more (or double) each spice, to taste.
- To a separate large bowl, add the brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, applesauce (unsweetened or regular), molasses (use a mild to medium molasses and not blackstrap which is too pungent), and beat on medium-high speed with a handheld electric mixer to combine.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, and beat to incorporate. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients mixture to the wet, and using a spatula to ensure you don't overmix, fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Evenly divide and pour the batter between the two cake pans.
- Bake for about 22 to 26 minutes, or until done. Always bake until done in your oven and if it takes 30 minutes, so be it. Cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but no matter. The tops should be set and lightly springy to the touch and possibly slightly domed but will fall a bit upon cooling which is normal. Tip – If you're baking in springform pans, I recommend placing them on a baking sheet and sliding it all into the oven so that if you pan does leak, it only leaks onto the baking sheet and not the floor of your oven.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 5 minutes before turning them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting*
- To a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, and beat with a handheld electric mixer (or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) on high speed until whipped.
- Add the confectioners' sugar (don't forget to sift it or you may end up with lumpy looking frosting) and beat on low speed at first to combine. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the vanilla, salt, and beat on high speed for about 2 more minutes, or until frosting is very light and fluffy.
Assembly
- Place one cake on the bottom of a cake plate, cake stand, or what you plan to serve it on.
- Frost the top of the cake.
- Add the second cake to the top and frost it.
- Using an offset spatula or similar tool, add frosting around the sides of the cake, smoothing it as best you can. Tip – Don't obsess about your frosting and how well you did or didn't do. I like to think of spice cake as more of a rustic cake anyway!
- Optional Toppings and Decorations – To make pie crust leaves, roll out either store bought refrigerated pie crust or use my Homemade All-Butter Flaky Pie Crust recipe.
- Using leaf-shaped small cookie cutters, cut out a dozen leaves or so. Bake them in a preheated 350F oven for about 10 minutes, or until they're done and lightly golden browned. Exact baking time will depend on your oven and the size of the leaves you make.
- Place the leaves on the frosted cake as desired, including on top and around the base.
- To make the chocolate dipped acorns, unwrap about a dozen caramel candies, and using the heat from your hands and your fingertips, mold the caramels into acorn shapes; set aside.
- Crush abut 1/3 cup small pretzel rods into fine crumbs; set aside.
- To a small, microwave-safe bowl, add about 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, and heat to melt in 10 to 15-second bursts, stirring after each burst until you can melt them smooth.
- Dip each the fatter end of each acorn caramel into the chocolate (what would be where the 'stem' would go), then dredge through the pretzel crumbs, insert a pretzel rod for a stem, and repeat the process until done. Allow the chocolate to set up fully before adding the acorns to the cake.
- As desired, place the pie crust leaves, caramel acorns, sprinkles, sanding sugar, or your favorite decorations on top of the cake, at the base, on the sides, or as desired.
Serving and Storage
- After the cake has been frosted and optionally decorated, I suggest covering it and chilling it in the refrigerator for about 4 to 6 hours before serving because I think this cake tastes better lightly chilled. Extra cake will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week. I don't recommend freezing frosted cake.
Notes
- My favorite inexpensive yet super functional buttermilk is from Trader Joe’s. They have it year-round and not just seasonally. However, if you don’t have a TJ’s in your area, your regular grocery store will have a couple options for buttermilk.
- You can easily make your own right at home with just 2 ingredients. To 1 cup of 2% or whole milk (I don’t know about non-dairy milks), add 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice, let stand for 10 minutes, and voila you will have “sour milk” aka buttermilk.
- Use powdered buttermilk. Keep it in your pantry, reconstitute it with milk or water or what the package says. This is a great option if you want to put lots of buttermilk recipes on your baking list!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Am putting your spice cake layers in the oven now. Did not see where you added the 1 -2 tsp vanilla to batter so I left it out. With all those spices did not seem necessary. Please clarify.
Thanks.
It goes in with the eggs, I updated the post. You’re right there is a lot going on here with lots of spices, but in general and baking you can always feel free to add the vanilla with the liquid ingredients or towards the end of any baking recipe.
I just received this recipe … I normally do not comment until I’ve made a recip,e but I just have to say this hits the spot for what I’ve been craving. Will make tonight. And the Glazed Pumpkin and Spice Apple Bund cake will be next on the agenda
Thank you for your comment on a brand new recipe and for planning to make it tonight. Please let me know how it goes! Feedback is everything!