Moist, flavorful, and tender yet dense homemade spice cake is topped with a generous layer of the silkiest brown butter cream cheese frosting. Make it as a sheet cake, layer cake, cupcakes, or a Bundt cake! Filled with comforting warm spices, this dessert is perfect for cool fall days.
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos and more success tips. I now show you exactly how to turn this cake into a layer cake (see below!).
Chocolate? You’ll forget all about it after one bite of this spice cake. It’s dense, moist, and flavorful enough that frosting isn’t even a requirement. I can’t believe I’m saying this but, when done right, super moist spice cake doesn’t need frosting.
But that obviously won’t stop us from adding it anyway! The most luscious brown butter cream cheese frosting takes this already-amazing spice cake to a whole new level.
One reader, Veronica, commented: “What a hit! I was looking for a fabulous spice cake recipe and this is it!!! I took it to a football party and people could not stop raving about it or eating it! Super moist, super flavorful! ★★★★★“
One reader, Nicqui, commented: “OMG this is the most delicious cake. Super moist and the spice mix is fabulous. I’ve made many spice cakes and they usually turn out dry and dense but this was perfect. ★★★★★“
This Spice Cake Is:
- Soft and moist like banana cake
- Cozy and comforting, perfectly spiced
- Easy to make—no mixer required for the batter
- Delicious without frosting, and even better when it’s topped with smooth + silky brown butter cream cheese frosting
- Versatile—make it as a sheet cake, layer cake, cupcakes, or Bundt cake
- A great make-ahead recipe (it’s even tastier on day 2!)
This spice cake is dense, yet tender and so-very-rich. It has tight crumbs and a moist texture. And more flavor in 1 bite than in an entire cupcake—we’re talking gingerbread-level flavor. It’s certainly one of my favorite fall cake recipes.
Plus, you can see that I used this very batter as the starting point for my favorite apple cake. Such a great base recipe!
Choosing the Right Ingredients
Some key ingredients you need:
- Flour: All-purpose flour serves as the base. You need sturdy all-purpose flour instead of cake flour in this recipe because of the heavy, wet batter.
- Fall Spices + Molasses: For mega spice flavor we use lots of cozy spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. I always add 1 Tablespoon of molasses, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can just leave it out. I loved its extra robust flavor inside the cake, but I did test the cake without it. Still wonderful.
- Oil: Oil guarantees a moist crumb.
- Brown Sugar: We use only brown sugar in this spice cake recipe because you know that’s where the best flavor lies. I prefer dark brown sugar for even deeper flavor.
- Applesauce: Applesauce adds even more moisture.
- Apple: 1 cup of shredded apple adds so much flavor and moisture—it’s what makes this spice cake truly the best I’ve ever tasted. You can also use shredded zucchini or carrot instead, or feel free to skip it.
Plus, baking powder, baking soda, eggs, vanilla, and salt.
Overview: How to Make Spice Cake
This is a very simply cake to prepare—it actually reminds me of pumpkin cake in terms of preparation, ease, taste, and texture. You don’t even need your mixer!
Select the pan you’re using. Today I have both the quarter sheet pan (9×13-inch) and 3-layer cake option pictured. Make sure the pan you’re using is greased. If making a layer cake, line your round pans with parchment paper rounds.
You can make either of these size cakes, or a 2-layer cake, Bundt cake, or cupcakes:
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
We all know that cream cheese frosting is spice cake’s good friend, but did you know that spice cake’s BEST friend happens to be brown butter cream cheese frosting?
I’m not sure why I waited so long to turn regular cream cheese frosting into brown butter cream cheese frosting? This is the same frosting we use on this zucchini cake, and it’s quite possibly the best frosting I’ve ever had—tangy and sweet, but not as tooth-decayingly sweet as American-style buttercream. Creamy, thick, silky, smooth.
Here’s how to make it:
- Brown butter on the stove. I wrote an entire tutorial on how to brown butter so you can learn exactly how it’s done!
- Refrigerate it until solid, then cream it.
- Beat in cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Those specks of nutty toasty buttery goodness bring cream cheese frosting up about 700 notches on the delicious scale.
Time-saving tip: Browning the butter and refrigerating it until solid is a whole extra step, but you can do this before you even start making the cake. By the time the baked cake has cooled, the brown butter will be re-solidified and ready to be whipped into frosting.
That said, if you simply don’t have the time to brown the butter and let it re-solidify, this cake is just as tasty with regular cream cheese frosting, or with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting we use on banana cupcakes. You could even use white chocolate buttercream frosting or garnish each slice with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.
Other Size Spice Cakes
This spice cake is incredibly versatile, which is one of the many things I love about it! There’s enough batter for a layer cake, Bundt cake, or cupcakes.
- 2-Layer 9-inch Cake: Divide the batter equally between two 9-inch cake pans and bake the layers for about 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- 3-Layer 8-inch Cake: Divide the batter equally among three 8-inch cake pans and bake the layers for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Pictured below.) See recipe Note about how to increase the volume of frosting.
- Bundt Cake: This batter fits wonderfully into a 10–12-cup Bundt pan and takes around 55–65 minutes. Start checking around the 50-minute mark, and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
- Cupcakes: This recipe makes about 24 standard-size cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 18–21 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. See recipe Note about how to increase the volume of frosting.
More Recipes Spice Cake Fans Will Love
- Banana Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Zucchini Cake
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Harvest Spice Bread
- Apple Cider Donuts
- Hummingbird Cake and Hummingbird Bundt Cake
- Chai Spiced Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake
- Apple Zucchini Bread
Super Moist Spice Cake
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Moist, flavorful, and tender yet dense homemade spice cake is topped with a generous layer of the silkiest brown butter cream cheese frosting. Make it as a sheet cake, layer cake, cupcakes, or a Bundt cake! Filled with comforting warm spices, this dessert is perfect for cool fall days.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
- 1 and 3/4 cups (350g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 cup (240g) unsweetened applesauce
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (150g) shredded apple (or shredded carrot/zucchini)
- optional: 1 Tablespoon (21g/15ml) unsulphured or dark molasses (not blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand)
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 slices
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 and 1/2 cups (300g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- optional, for garnish: sprinkle of ground cinnamon or nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13-inch pan. I always use this glass pan. See recipe Notes for other pan size options.
- Make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract, and molasses (if using). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Some small lumps are OK. Fold in the shredded apple until combined.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 38–40 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil (I usually do this around the 25-minute mark).
- Remove the cake from the oven and set on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.
- Brown the butter for the frosting: Set out a medium heatproof bowl because you’ll need it at the end of this step. Place the sliced butter in a light-colored skillet or saucepan. A light-colored interior is crucial for determining when the butter begins to brown. Melt the butter over medium heat and stir or whisk constantly. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Continue stirring/whisking, keeping a close eye on it. After about 5–7 minutes, the butter will begin browning and you’ll notice lightly browned specks forming at the bottom of the pan. The butter will have a nutty aroma. The color will gradually deepen, from yellow to golden to golden-brown; once it’s a light caramel-brown color, immediately remove from heat and pour into the bowl, including any brown solids that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely and solidify.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the solidified brown butter on high speed until creamy and smooth. Add the cream cheese and beat again until smooth and combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then gradually increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes.
- Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. If desired, top with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes slicing easier.
- Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare cake through step 5. Cover the cake tightly and set at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before serving. Continue with step 6.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Box Grater | 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Light-Colored Skillet | Whisk | Icing Spatula
- Quarter Sheet Pan: I really like to bake quarter sheet cakes in a glass 9×13-inch pan or this metal pan that comes with a lid.
- Can I replace or reduce the oil? Vegetable oil is a great option for this cake. You can replace with a neutral-flavored oil such as avocado oil or canola oil. Feel free to use melted refined coconut oil (refined doesn’t have much of a coconut flavor) and make sure every other ingredient in the cake batter is room temperature, so the oil doesn’t solidify. Do not replace with melted butter because the cake will taste dry. You can replace a small amount of the oil with applesauce if needed, but keep in mind that the cake will begin to taste dry/rubbery the more oil you replace.
- Applesauce: It’s best to use unsweetened applesauce in this recipe—you need a wet ingredient that won’t overpower the other flavors in the cake. Feel free to use mashed banana, pumpkin puree, or canned crushed pineapple instead, but keep in mind that the flavor of the cake will change.
- Shredded Apple: You can skip the shredded apple (or carrot/zucchini) if needed. The cake is plenty moist without it. Or feel free to replace with chopped apple.
- Brown Butter in Frosting: For more information and troubleshooting, see this post on how to brown butter.
- Layer Cake: Grease three 8-inch or two 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pans. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for about 25–26 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. To make enough frosting for a 3-layer cake, 1.5x or even double the ingredient amounts. Before assembling the layer cake, refrigerate the prepared frosting for at least 30 minutes so it’s sturdier and can hold up the layers. Here’s how to assemble a layer cake.
- Bundt Cake: This cake batter will fit into a greased 10-cup or larger Bundt pan. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 55–65 minutes. The baking time varies depending on your oven; keep your eye on the cake after 50 minutes. Feel free to cover the cake loosely with aluminum foil about halfway through to prevent heavy browning on top. Allow the cake to cool in the pan set on a cooling rack for 1 hour, then invert onto a serving plate.
- Cupcakes: Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 19–21 minutes. Yields about 2 dozen. This frosting recipe here is not enough for 2 dozen cupcakes. Instead, use the brown butter cream cheese frosting recipe/ratios from this banana layer cake.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I think this is going to be the special 21st birthday cake for my son it looks delicious- what do you think about adding carrots instead of apples he loves a good carrot cake (without all the pineapple coconut raisin add-ins) and I feel that this could work-any advice would be welcome otherwise I’m going to just go for it!
That should work great, Michelle!
Is it okay to add a crumb topping or will it be too heavy and sink into the cake?
Hi Erin, we haven’t tested it but imagine that should work just fine. Let us know if you try it! Or you might also enjoy this zucchini crumb cake.
This cake was delicious! I substituted the applesauce for pumpkin, and it made the perfect fall dessert. I doubled the recipe to make a 3-tiered cake (8-inch pans) + 6 cupcakes.
I will definitely make it again.
I made this cake, exactly as written. It is super moist and very delicious! It contains two cups of apples, one cup of grated apples, one cup of applesauce, get your apples ready! I used Honeycrisp Apples. The frosting is excellent, it is not too sweet, just right! Sally’s recipes are always the best!
I made this cake in a 9×12 metal pan
After 38 minutes my toothpick came out clean, after cooling the center dropped creating a huge crater, what might cause that?
Hi Matt, when cakes sink in the middle, it usually means they are slightly underdone. A few extra minutes in the oven should help for next time!
If making the 8″ three layer cake, do the layers cool completely in the pan like the 9 x 13″ cake?
Hi Sally, yes, you will want to let the layers completely cool in the pan before removing.
This sounds AMAZING. I would like to split the batter between two 8-inch square glass baking dishes, so I can keep one and take one to a friend. I would love some guidance on baking times (smaller size, glass dish) and whether I can bake them both at the same time. Thank you!
Hi Kimberly, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions. Make sure you only fill your pans half way and keep in mind that bake time will be shorter. Keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Enjoy!
How many pieces does this make? I need to make enough cake for 14 people, should I make two cakes or will this one recipe be enough?
Hi Mary, we usually get 12 slices out of this 9×13 inch cake, but you could cut your pieces a little smaller if needed. You could absolutely make two cakes to ensure you have enough and extra as well!
Hiya! Have pumpkin puree & envy apples on hand; would those do well together? The puree would sub for applesauce. Thanks!
Hi Neely, should be a delicious pairing! Let us know how you like the cake.
Hi. Wanting to make this recipe, sounds delicious. After shredding the applies, do you need to blot them or let them dry, or do you want to fold them in freshly grated? Do you recommend Granny Smith apples for this recipe?
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
Hi Jodie, you add them freshly grated – we want the moisture! Granny Smith apples work great here.
I love your recipes and they are very easy to follow!! Can i use Gluten Free flour?
Hi Maria, we haven’t tested this cake with gluten free flour, but let us know if you do!
Your recipes are always do great, Sally! Thank you! Could I make this recipe in small foil loaf pans? Can this recipe be doubled?
Hi Karen, For best results, we recommend making separate batches rather than doubling. You can bake this in small loaf pans but we are unsure of the bake time needed.
This was a hit at our family reunion this weekend!
Greetings from Sydney Australia, I made this cake today and reduce the sugar by 40%, substituted with 50% wholemeal flour and added in 1/2 cup dried currents. It was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much!
Can I substitute cardamom for the cloves
Hi Ruth, we don’t see why not! Enjoy!
Hi Sally! This may be a silly question and I may have missed it above but do you peel the apple before shredding or do you include the skin?
Thank you !
Hi Jadeica, We peel the apple before shredding.
Can this recipe be cut in half to use with a 6 inch round pan?
Hi Tina, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
Will this fit in a 9 in. Square pan?
Hi Andrea, this is too much batter as written for 1 9-inch square pan. Here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions.
Wonderful cake. Can it be baked in a tube pan
Hi Betty, That should be fine. Let us know if you try it!
I made this cake last year with my mom and we accidentally added WAY too much butter; it was still delicious! Not an easy cake to mess up. I’m hoping to make it again today with a few of my friends. Hopefully we don’t mess it up this time too 😅
My produce box came with a large amount of apples, so I made this cake for the first time. Holy SMOKES, what a great cake! I ran out of time to ice it, but found that it really didn’t need it. I can’t wait to taste it today now that all the spices have had a chance to marry. OUTSTANDING 💕💕💕
Would this be ok with chopped apples, do you think?
My neighbor had a bumper crop and now I’m swimming on apples 😅
Hi Nicole, if you wanted to used chopped apples instead of shredded here, you certainly can. Enjoy!
This cake was delicious! I made it for my Nana’s 81st birthday and it is perfect with a strong cup of tea. There is a little bakery my family loves that always has the best cakes. They have one around this time of year that is similar to a spice cake and my mom said it was even better than theirs—which is high praise!
I did use pumpkin puree instead of the applesauce and shredded carrot instead of shredded apple. I am curious if I had not if it would’ve been quite a bit sweeter. My mom and I liked how this cake was not overpoweringly sweet which meant that the very sweet icing was a great compliment.
Adding to the recipe book!