This spice cake recipe is the only recipe you’ll ever need. Incredibly moist, flavored with a mixture of spices, with a texture that almost melts in your mouth! It’s quick and easy to make and doesn’t require a mixer. The cake is great by itself, the cream cheese frosting is just a bonus. It’s going to be your new favorite winter and holiday cake.
A while ago I suddenly recalled a cake I had in Paris a few years ago. I don’t know what reminded me of it, but the moment I started thinking about it I couldn’t stop. It reminded me my mom’s honey cake, but it it had more spices in it. I didn’t remember how that cake tasted like exactly, but I knew I had to try creating one myself. When this cake came out of the oven, it was so good that me and Erez could finish the whole cake in 5 minutes, but luckily we saved a few pieces, and it tasted even better the day after.
Spices
I use a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. If you don’t like nutmeg or cloves you can leave one of them out, but trust me, this mix of spices gives the most wonderful flavor.
Sugar
I use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar. The latter adds moisture to the cake. You can use only brown sugar or only granulated sugar (3/4 cup).
Oil, applesauce, buttermilk
They all make this spice cake extra moist so it stays tender for days. If you must skip the applesauce, use buttermilk instead (total of 1 cup), but the applesauce makes a difference in this recipe! I made homemade applesauce and it’s super easy. I halved the recipe, so I used 2 apples, some water, a splash of lemon juice, and cooked for 15-20 minutes until soft, then mashed it with a fork. It’s ok if it’s a little chunky, or, if you prefer a smooth texture, process it in a food processor.
More Delicious Snack Cakes:
- Moist Applesauce Bread
- My Favorite Carrot Cake
- Maple Nut Cake
- Plum Ginger Crumb Cake
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
For a 9x13-inch cake, double the recipe (both cake and frosting) and bake for 45-50 minutes. The cake stays moist and flavorful for a few days, so you can make it 1-2 days ahead.
- 1 and 1/4 cups (170 g/6 oz.) all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (100 g/3.5 oz.) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 g/1.7 oz.) dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) canola or another flavorless oil
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 oz. (115 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick/55 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (175 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease an 8x8-inch pan.
- In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until well combined for about a minute. Add oil and whisk until combined. Add applesauce, buttermilk, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Pour the mixture into the flour mixture and mix as little as possible, just until combined and smooth.
- Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely.
- Make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add 1 cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then on high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. If you want a thicker frosting, add 1/2 cup more powdered sugar. Frost cake with the frosting.
- Store cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cake is best served at room temperature.
49 Comments
Kirsti
September 2, 2018 at 5:09 amYum! I love a good spice cake, and this cake looks perfect for the upcoming cooler months. Pinned! 🙂
Joanne Buscarini
September 2, 2018 at 2:50 pmCan this spice cake be frozen ? Thank you
Shiran
September 3, 2018 at 9:50 amYes, and if you leave out the frosting it can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Emily
August 28, 2019 at 2:15 pmI made this with mashed pumpkin instead of the applesauce and buttermilk and it was super perfect and moist, and I used 1/2 cup of cool whip instead of the butter in the frosting and it was heaven
Ria
September 18, 2018 at 9:56 amWhat can i sub the applesauce for?
Shiran
September 20, 2018 at 6:30 amHi Ria, you can find this info in the above post.
Jean
July 26, 2019 at 11:00 pmCould I make this recipe into cup cakes? How long would baking time be?
Shiran
July 30, 2019 at 2:54 amYes you can, about 15-20 minutes.
Tiff
September 24, 2018 at 9:57 pmWould this recipe be enough to make a 3 layer cake? You mention it’s tender. Would it fall apart easily? Also, would the cooking time remain the same? Looking to make this for Christmas! Thank you!
Shiran
September 25, 2018 at 10:55 amYou’ll need to double the recipe for a 9-inch layer cake. It’s moist but it will be ok. The baking time will be different so keep an eye on it.
Maggie
October 12, 2018 at 11:00 amI just tried this recipe and the cake is bubbly and burnt on top but totally liquid all through the middle! Is there any chance there is supposed to be more than 1 1/4c flour? The batter seemed really thin but I figured it was meant to be that way – now I’m not so sure!
Shiran
October 14, 2018 at 8:08 amHi Maggie, this is the correct amount of flour and ingredients. If the top is browning too fast compared to the bottom, cover the pan loosely with aluminium foil for the rest of the baking time.
CJ
January 18, 2021 at 4:39 pmI made this in two 5×7 Pyrex pans to make a layer cake and with double the frosting. I’m not partial to ginger, so I replaced it with ¼ tsp of allspice. The cake came out moist and delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!
sivan
December 12, 2018 at 2:29 pmhi Shiran!
I was wondering if it’s ok to split the batter into mini loafcake paper pans as long as i do not over fill so it can book?
each size is about 4x2x2
Thank you!
Shiran
December 15, 2018 at 5:55 amYes you can 🙂 Bake them until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Michelle
January 9, 2019 at 10:54 amThis cake was more than delicious! However, I did sub melted butter for the oil, and cut a bit of the salt (since it was salted butter). I used homemade applesauce and it was so good with the little chunks of apple throughout the cake.
Karen
February 26, 2019 at 10:16 pmJust made it, including the homemade apple sauce. Very yummy and moist! I used one 9in pan, baked at 350 for 20 minutes, lined with wax paper. No issues. Hardly any left. I will have to make this again. If I wanted to make a bundt cake, do I double the recipe? Do you have a glaze recipe to go with a bundt recipe? Thanks for sharing.
Shiran
March 5, 2019 at 4:05 amHi Karen! It might be too moist for bundt cake, I haven’t tried it so I don’t know. You can make a simple glaze by mixing powdered sugar with a bit of milk and vanilla extract.
Bethany
December 15, 2019 at 3:36 pmI just made it in a Bundt pan without doubling the recipe. It didn’t fill the pan to the top, but doubling might have been too full. Also, it cooked fine and held its shape coming out.
Jenna
April 28, 2019 at 9:04 pmI think your flour measurement is off somehow? 1 1/4 cups of flour would be closer to 10 oz, not 6.
Linda
May 31, 2019 at 8:06 pmI just made this cake. Have yet to taste it but looks awesome. Someone must have a weird oven because mine was cooked perfectly in 35.
JULIANNE
November 1, 2020 at 1:23 amOz by volume is not the same as oz by weight. I believe the 6 oz weight is correct for 1.25 cups volume
Yukti Arora
August 19, 2019 at 8:17 amNice cake recipe………….keep posting such mouth watering cakes.
Shivani
August 30, 2019 at 1:22 amWOW!! This cake looks amazing.. Can’t wait to try this.. Thank you so much for sharing such a mouth watering spice cake recipe with us.. Loved it!! Keep posting.
Sarah
November 2, 2019 at 7:22 pmHi! This looks delicious. I’m on the hunt for a homemade spice cake recipe to pair with penuche frosting (basically a brown sugar icing). Is this cake super sweet? The icing is extremely decadent so I need a spicy but not very sweet cake. This seems like it would fit the bill but wanted to check. Thank you!!
Shiran
November 11, 2019 at 5:16 amHi Sarah, I don’t think this cake is overly sweet at all, but it’s about personal taste 🙂 You can use a bit less sugar if you prefer.
Gabriella
November 13, 2019 at 10:36 amHello! I am excited to make this cake but wanted to make it as a double layer cake 6 inch cake. How do you recommend that I alter the recipe?
Tori
May 6, 2020 at 5:35 pmJust found this recipe after looking everywhere for a tasty spice cake and I’m in love! Made 12 little muffins instead of a giant cake and my family is loving them
Jeanine
May 12, 2020 at 8:07 pmThis was very easy, moist, and delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Chris
May 28, 2020 at 7:46 amI made this using 8 in square pan, baked for 30 minutes, and subbed 1 egg with mashed banana, also added chopped apple just because I wanted to use them up. Came out super moist and got a lot of compliments for that. I do wish the spice taste was a little stronger, but maybe my spices are losing flavor and need to use newer ones. Thanks for the recipe!
Shiran
June 3, 2020 at 6:40 amHi Chris. You can always use more of your favorite spices!
Peter Calvin
August 20, 2020 at 3:06 amHi Shiran, have to say i really love your work and all the recipe you share with us. This cake looks amazing and will definitely give it a try. Keep up the good work.
Shiran
August 20, 2020 at 5:23 amThank you so much, Peter 🙂
Becky Cuba
September 8, 2020 at 12:08 pmHas anyone tried subbing premixed apple pie spice for the spices? If so, how much?
diwali gifts
September 30, 2020 at 2:33 amWOW! A spice cake, never thought i would try something like this. But, you never know. Gonna try this right away.
diwali gifts
October 3, 2020 at 4:36 amWow! A spice cake, this is what i always wanted to make. Thanks to you for sharing.
Jodi Odland
November 5, 2020 at 6:08 pmLoved the texture and it was nice and moist. I frosted with Penuche frosting. Next time I plan on just using cinnamon and nutmeg for the spice
Jeanne
November 7, 2020 at 11:44 pmThe Spice cake is delicious! Thank you for the nice , easy recipe!
Jessi
December 15, 2020 at 2:32 amIt is a great recipe to make a birthday special cake. my bro’s birthday coming soon. thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
CJ
January 18, 2021 at 4:40 pmI made this in two 5×7 Pyrex pans to make a layer cake and with double the frosting. I’m not partial to ginger, so I replaced it with ¼ tsp of allspice. The cake came out moist and delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!
CJ
January 18, 2021 at 4:41 pmEDIT: Accidentally added my review as a reply, so re-posting…
I made this in two 5×7 Pyrex pans to make a layer cake and with double the frosting. I’m not partial to ginger, so I replaced it with ¼ tsp of allspice. The cake came out moist and delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe!
valentines gifts
February 11, 2021 at 3:44 amPerfect cakes for Valentine day occasion. keep updating and thanks for share the recipes.
Jen
February 16, 2021 at 8:25 amI made this with a few changes, greek yohgurt instead of buttermilk, almond extract instead of vanilla and allspice instead of ground ginger and it was delicious. On a side note, I don’t understand why people give stars if they’ve never made something. A pet peeve of mine I guess because it creates false ratings and offers absolutely nothing.
Debra
March 19, 2021 at 12:27 pmI am allergic to apples, what other fruit can I use?
Kim
April 26, 2021 at 5:53 pmThanks!
I’m crazy about this cake, I made it 4 times in the last 3 months so it is about time I thank you for this recipe ❤️💚💛
Rakhi
July 7, 2021 at 2:42 amI am visiting the website for the first time. What I found most interesting is the name. Pretty Simple Sweet. Says everything you need to know. Will surely try out the recipes and keep posting as to how it went. Thanks.
Sattur mittai kadai
July 22, 2021 at 1:24 amThank you for sharing the amazing article.it’s really good.
indian matka
September 20, 2021 at 2:10 pmWow! just love your ideas, I made one for my friend I hope he will like it.
TheFlowersPoint
September 21, 2021 at 1:40 amVery informative