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Spice Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting

Eleanor Batterson
By Eleanor Batterson
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This Spice Cake is filled with heat fall spices and lined in a beautiful cream cheese frosting! It’s extremely moist, scrumptious and the right method to take pleasure in fall!

Close up of a Spice Cake with slices cut away to show layers.

Why You’ll Love This Superb Spice Cake

Spice cake is a traditional and there’s no scarcity of recipes on the market. Right here’s why you’ll love this one and are available again to it again and again.

  • Moist. The cake batter has oil, brown sugar, and even some applesauce to make the moistest cake crumb ever. It provides you a cake that’s a little bit fluffy and a little bit dense and so moist.
  • Good spices. The batter has the right mix of your favourite vacation spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. The wealthy, caramel taste of brown sugar and vanilla actually permit the spices shine.
  • Cream cheese frosting. I’m a sucker for cream cheese frosting! I really like the tang and gentle sweetness. And I really like the way it completely compliments the candy and spicy cake layers.
  • Basic Fall cake. This spice cake makes me really feel so nostalgic. Its quaint, easy flavors by no means exit of fashion. It’s a beautiful cake for the vacations – or anytime you get the craving!

What Spices are in Spice Cake?

Spice truffles sometimes consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. They’re conventional heat spices that you just have a tendency to seek out round fall and winter. You might also discover some recipes that decision for cardamom, all spice or one other sudden spice.

This cake makes use of all the conventional ones, plus a little bit all spice for a little bit one thing additional. It additionally provides a touch of apple. Not solely does apple assist incorporate much more Fall taste into this cake, nevertheless it additionally provides moisture. It doesn’t make the cake apple-flavored, nevertheless it does assist the flavour of the spices actually pop.

Spice Cake on a white and wood cake platter on a napkin.

What You’ll Must Make Spice Cake

Though this a comparatively straightforward cake to make, there are a selection of substances. Be sure that to learn my ingredient suggestions. Yow will discover the precise measurements within the recipe card beneath.

Ingredients for Spice Cake with labels.

For the Cake

  • All-purpose flour – Remember to measure the flour accurately so that you don’t find yourself with a dry cake. I all the time advocate a meals scale for accuracy, however you need to use the spoon and degree methodology as effectively.
  • Leavening – Utilizing each baking powder and baking soda provides the cake the correct rise and tender texture.
  • Spices – This truffles makes use of floor cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
  • Salt and Vanilla extract – Each add taste to the cake. Ensure to not omit the salt otherwise you’ll find yourself with a bland cake.
  • Vegetable oil – I personally love the mixture of oil and butter in a cake. The oil is nice for additional moisture and tenderness within the cake layers.
  • Unsalted butter – Carry your butter to room temperature earlier than utilizing. You’ll comprehend it’s prepared to make use of when you’ll be able to press gently on the surface and go away a slight indent together with your thumb. When you don’t have unsalted butter, simply make certain to omit the extra salt within the recipe.
  • Gentle brown sugar – The sunshine brown sugar provides nice extra taste that compliments all of the spices. It has molasses in it which additionally helps to maintain the cake moist.
  • Eggs – Room temperature eggs combine extra simply and assist stop lumps. Remember to use giant eggs, not medium or additional giant.
  • Milk – Any fats share will work, though increased percentages gives you a greater cake. I like to recommend 2% or complete milk.
  • Unsweetened applesauce – The applesauce works superbly with the spices within the cake and provides pretty moisture and texture.

For the Frosting

  • Cream cheese – You’ll additionally need to use room temperature substances for the frosting. Just like butter, you’ll know the cream cheese is able to use when you’ll be able to go away an imprint after urgent gently together with your thumb. You don’t need it to be too heat, or you’ve gotten a frosting that’s too skinny and exhausting to work with.
  • Unsalted butter – Prepared to make use of when it reaches room temperature.
  • Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar helps to sweeten and thicken the frosting. This recipe makes use of an excellent little bit of powdered sugar. You possibly can cut back it, if desired, however take into account that changes change the consistency of the frosting.
  • Vanilla extract – For taste.
  • Chopped pecans – I really like the crunch and nutty taste of pecans with the spice cake, however they’re elective. Be at liberty to depart them off fully, or swap them to a distinct nut.
A slice of Spice Cake on a white ruffled plate.

The best way to Make Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Right here’s a short overview of easy methods to make a layered spice cake. I’ve offered step-by-step images for fast reference, however you may get the great instructions within the recipe card beneath.

To Make the Spice Cake

  • Put together to bake: Put together three 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles within the backside and grease the edges. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
  • Mix dry substances: Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium sized bowl and put aside.
  • Cream butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla: Add the butter, vegetable oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to a big mixer bowl, and beat collectively till mild in coloration and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Don’t skimp on the creaming time – it provides air to the batter that offers the cake it’s fluffy texture.
  • Add eggs: Add the eggs separately, mixing till largely mixed after every. Scrape down the edges of the bowl as wanted to make sure all substances are effectively integrated. 
Batter for Spice Cake in a large metal mixing bowl with butter, oil, sugar and vanilla.
Batter for Spice Cake in a large metal mixing bowl after eggs are added.
  • Incorporate half of the dry substances: Add half of the dry substances to the batter and blend till largely mixed.
  • Pour in milk and applesauce: Slowly add the milk and applesauce and blend till effectively mixed.
  • Add remaining dry substances: Add the remaining dry substances and blend till effectively mixed and clean. Scrape down the edges of the bowl as wanted to make sure all substances are effectively integrated. Don’t over combine the batter.
  • Fill cake pans: Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or till a toothpick comes out with a couple of crumbs.
  • Take away from oven and funky: Take away the truffles from the oven and permit to chill for about 2-3 minutes, then take away to cooling racks to chill fully.
Batter for Spice Cake in a large metal mixing bowl after the dry ingredients have been added.
3 cake pans filled with Spice Cake batter.

To Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Mix the cream cheese and butter: Whereas the truffles are cooling, add the cream cheese and butter to a big mixer bowl and blend till effectively mixed and clean.
  • Add half of the powdered sugar: Add about half of the powdered sugar and blend till effectively mixed and clean.
  • Pour in vanilla: Add the vanilla extract and blend effectively.
  • Add remaining powdered sugar: Add the remaining powdered sugar and blend till effectively mixed and clean.

To Assemble the Cake

  • Take away cake domes: Use a big serrated knife to take away the domes from the tops of the truffles so they’re flat, if wanted.
  • Set first layer: Place the primary cake layer on a serving plate or on a cardboard cake circle. Unfold about 1 cup of frosting on prime of the cake layer.
  • Set second layer: Add the second layer of cake and one other cup of frosting.
  • Set prime layer: Prime the cake with the third layer and frost the highest and outdoors of the cake with the remaining cream cheese frosting. Use a spoon or offset spatula to create a design within the frosting on the edges of the cake. 
  • Enhance: Use the remaining frosting to pipe a border across the prime fringe of the cake. I used Ateco tip 847. Enhance the cake with some chopped pecans, if desired.
3 baked layers of baked Spice Cake
3 layers of Spice Cake with frosting in between them on a silver cake stand and cardboard round.

Working with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting is tougher to work with than buttercream as a result of it tends to be softer. I favor to thicken mine up with powdered sugar to make it pipe-able and simpler to work with, however in case you aren’t a fan of utilizing that a lot sugar, you’ll be able to cut back it. I like to recommend decreasing the quantity of all of the substances by the identical share. That manner you’ll nonetheless have a frosting that’s thick sufficient to remain on the cake and stop the layers from sliding round. Principally, you’ll make much less of the identical frosting.

Additionally take into account that the temperature of your cream cheese makes a distinction. In case your cream cheese is a little bit too heat while you make your frosting, you’ll have a good softer, and presumably even runny, cream cheese frosting. If that occurs, you’ll be able to refrigerate it till it’s a little bit firmer and simpler to work with.

For extra suggestions, take a look at my publish on easy methods to make cream cheese frosting.

Suggestions for Success

Maintain the following pointers in thoughts as you put together this spice cake. Just a few easy solutions will enable you to keep away from widespread errors.

  • Don’t skimp on creaming. When creaming collectively the butter, oil, sugar, and vanilla, achieve this till the combination has lightened considerably in coloration and develop into fluffy. This course of incorporates air into the batter, which helps be certain that your cake doesn’t prove overly dense.
  • Measure your flour accurately. I extremely advocate utilizing a meals scale. If not, take a look at my publish on easy methods to correctly measure your flour, to make sure you don’t over measure and find yourself with a dry cake.
  • Don’t overmix. To stop a troublesome, dense cake, make certain to not overmix the batter after including the dry substances. It may trigger the glutens within the flour to overdevelop and develop into robust.
  • Scrape down the edges of the bowl. Be sure that to get all of the substances integrated into the batter. Use a spatula to scrape down the edges of the bowl as you proceed including substances.
  • Divide batter evenly. While you add the cake batter to the pans, make certain to take action evenly in order that one cake doesn’t bake extra shortly than the opposite, or you possibly can find yourself with some dry cake layers.
  • Let it cool. Enable the cake layers to chill fully earlier than stacking and frosting. If the cake remains to be heat, the frosting will get melty and slide off.
Close up of a spice cake on a white cake platter.

The best way to Retailer Leftovers

  • Fridge. Seal the spice cake in an hermetic cake service or wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap (I like utilizing toothpicks to prop the plastic away from the frosting). You can too prepare slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. Maintain it within the fridge for as much as 4-5 days.
  • Freezer. To freeze the total cake, place the cake within the freezer for a few hours to agency up, after which wrap it in a couple of layers of plastic wrap. When you already sliced it, you’ll be able to wrap and freeze every slice individually, or prepare the slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. You possibly can maintain it within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Enable it to thaw within the fridge earlier than having fun with.

Extra Spiced Cake Recipes

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Close up of a Spice Cake with slices cut away to show layers.