Moist, flavorful, and tender but dense selfmade spice cake is topped with a beneficiant layer of the silkiest brown butter cream cheese frosting. Make it as a sheet cake, layer cake, cupcakes, or a Bundt cake! Full of comforting heat spices, this dessert is ideal for cool fall days.
I initially revealed this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photographs and extra success suggestions. I now present you precisely learn how to flip this cake right into a layer cake (see under!).
Chocolate? You’ll neglect all about it after one chunk of this spice cake. It’s dense, moist, and flavorful sufficient that frosting isn’t even a requirement. I can’t imagine I’m saying this however, when accomplished proper, tremendous moist spice cake doesn’t want frosting.
However that clearly gained’t cease us from including it anyway! Probably the most luscious brown butter cream cheese frosting takes this already-amazing spice cake to a complete new stage.
One reader, Veronica, commented: “What a success! I used to be on the lookout for a wonderful spice cake recipe and that is it!!! I took it to a soccer get together and other people couldn’t cease raving about it or consuming it! Tremendous moist, tremendous flavorful! ★★★★★“
One reader, Nicqui, commented: “OMG that is essentially the most scrumptious cake. Tremendous moist and the spice combine is fabulous. I’ve made many spice desserts they usually normally end up dry and dense however this was good. ★★★★★“
This Spice Cake Is:
- Smooth and moist like banana cake
- Cozy and comforting, completely spiced
- Straightforward to make—no mixer required for the batter
- Scrumptious with out frosting, and even higher when it’s topped with easy + silky brown butter cream cheese frosting
- Versatile—make it as a sheet cake, layer cake, cupcakes, or Bundt cake
- An incredible make-ahead recipe (it’s even tastier on day 2!)
This spice cake is dense, but tender and so-very-rich. It has tight crumbs and a moist texture. And extra taste in 1 chunk than in a complete cupcake—we’re speaking gingerbread-level taste. It’s actually certainly one of my favourite fall cake recipes.
Plus, you’ll be able to see that I used this very batter as the start line for my favourite apple cake. Such an incredible base recipe!
Selecting the Proper Substances
Some key components you want:
- Flour: All-purpose flour serves as the bottom. You want sturdy all-purpose flour as a substitute of cake flour on this recipe due to the heavy, moist batter.
- Fall Spices + Molasses: For mega spice taste we use numerous cozy spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. I all the time add 1 Tablespoon of molasses, however should you don’t have any available, you’ll be able to simply go away it out. I beloved its additional strong taste contained in the cake, however I did check the cake with out it. Nonetheless great.
- Oil: Oil ensures a moist crumb.
- Brown Sugar: We use solely brown sugar on this spice cake recipe as a result of you already know that’s the place one of the best taste lies. I desire darkish brown sugar for even deeper taste.
- Applesauce: Applesauce provides much more moisture.
- Apple: 1 cup of shredded apple provides a lot taste and moisture—it’s what makes this spice cake really one of the best I’ve ever tasted. You can even use shredded zucchini or carrot as a substitute, or be at liberty to skip it.
Plus, baking powder, baking soda, eggs, vanilla, and salt.
Overview: The way to Make Spice Cake
This can be a very merely cake to organize—it really jogs my memory of pumpkin cake by way of preparation, ease, style, and texture. You don’t even want your mixer!
Choose the pan you’re utilizing. As we speak I’ve each the quarter sheet pan (9×13-inch) and 3-layer cake possibility pictured. Make sure that the pan you’re utilizing is greased. If making a layer cake, line your spherical pans with parchment paper rounds.
You can also make both of those dimension desserts, or a 2-layer cake, Bundt cake, or cupcakes:
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Everyone knows that cream cheese frosting is spice cake’s good good friend, however do you know that spice cake’s BEST good friend occurs to be brown butter cream cheese frosting?
I’m undecided why I waited so lengthy to show common cream cheese frosting into brown butter cream cheese frosting? This is identical frosting we use on this zucchini cake, and it’s fairly presumably one of the best frosting I’ve ever had—tangy and candy, however not as tooth-decayingly candy as American-style buttercream. Creamy, thick, silky, easy.
Right here’s learn how to make it:
- Brown butter on the range. I wrote a complete tutorial on learn how to brown butter so you’ll be able to study precisely the way it’s accomplished!
- Refrigerate it till stable, then cream it.
- Beat in cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt.
These specks of nutty toasty buttery goodness deliver cream cheese frosting up about 700 notches on the scrumptious scale.
Time-saving tip: Browning the butter and refrigerating it till stable is a complete additional step, however you are able to do this earlier than you even begin making the cake. By the point the baked cake has cooled, the brown butter will likely be re-solidified and able to be whipped into frosting.
That stated, should you merely don’t have the time to brown the butter and let it re-solidify, this cake is simply as tasty with common cream cheese frosting, or with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting we use on banana cupcakes. You can even use white chocolate buttercream frosting or garnish every slice with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.
Different Dimension Spice Truffles
This spice cake is extremely versatile, which is among the many issues I really like about it! There’s sufficient 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 till a toothpick inserted within the middle of the cake comes out clear.
- 3-Layer 8-inch Cake: Divide the batter equally amongst three 8-inch cake pans and bake the layers for about 25 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear. (Pictured under.) See recipe Notice about learn how to enhance the quantity of frosting.
- Bundt Cake: This batter matches splendidly into a ten–12-cup Bundt pan and takes round 55–65 minutes. Begin checking across the 50-minute mark, and use a toothpick to check for doneness.
- Cupcakes: This recipe makes about 24 standard-size cupcakes. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 18–21 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear. See recipe Notice about learn how to enhance the quantity of frosting.
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Description
Moist, flavorful, and tender but dense selfmade spice cake is topped with a beneficiant layer of the silkiest brown butter cream cheese frosting. Make it as a sheet cake, layer cake, cupcakes, or a Bundt cake! Full of comforting heat spices, this dessert is ideal for cool fall days.
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 floor cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon floor ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon floor nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon floor cloves
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
- 1 and three/4 cup (350g) packed darkish brown sugar
- 1 cup (240g) unsweetened applesauce
- 4 giant eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (150g) shredded apple (or shredded carrot/zucchini)
- non-obligatory: 1 Tablespoon (21g) unsulphured or darkish molasses (not blackstrap; I desire Grandma’s model)
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, reduce 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
- non-obligatory, for garnish: sprinkle of floor cinnamon or nutmeg
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13-inch pan. I all the time use this glass pan. See recipe Notes for different pan dimension choices.
- Make the cake: In a big bowl, whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Put aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the oil, brown sugar, applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract, and molasses (if utilizing). Pour the moist components into the dry components and whisk till mixed. Some small lumps are OK. Fold within the shredded apple till mixed.
- Unfold the batter evenly into the ready pan. Bake for 38–40 minutes. Baking instances fluctuate, so control yours. The cake is finished when a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear with only a few moist crumbs. Should you discover the highest of the cake is browning too shortly within the oven, loosely cowl it with aluminum foil (I normally do that across the 25-minute mark).
- Take away the cake from the oven and set on a cooling rack. Permit to chill fully.
- Brown the butter for the frosting: Set out a medium heatproof bowl since you’ll want it on the finish of this step. Place the sliced butter in a light-colored skillet or saucepan. A light-weight-colored inside is essential for figuring out when the butter begins to brown. Soften the butter over medium warmth and stir or whisk continually. As soon as melted, the butter will start to foam. Proceed stirring/whisking, retaining an in depth eye on it. After about 5–7 minutes, the butter will start browning and also you’ll discover flippantly browned specks forming on the backside of the pan. The butter can have a nutty aroma. The colour will step by step deepen, from yellow to golden to golden-brown; as soon as it’s a light-weight caramel-brown colour, instantly take away from warmth and pour into the bowl, together with any brown solids which have fashioned on the underside of the pan. Cool for 10 minutes, then switch to the fridge to chill fully and solidify.
- Make the frosting: In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the solidified brown butter on excessive velocity till creamy and easy. Add the cream cheese and beat once more till easy and mixed. Scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl as wanted. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low velocity for 30 seconds, then step by step enhance to excessive velocity and beat for two minutes.
- Unfold the frosting on the cooled cake. If desired, high with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg. Refrigerate for half-hour earlier than serving. This helps units the frosting and makes slicing simpler.
- Cowl leftover cake tightly and retailer within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Put together cake via step 5. Cowl the cake tightly and set at room temperature for as much as 2 days or freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge, and produce to room temperature earlier than serving. Proceed with step 6.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Field Grater | 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Gentle-Coloured Skillet | Whisk | Icing Spatula
- Quarter Sheet Pan: I actually wish to bake quarter sheet desserts in a glass 9×13-inch pan or this metallic pan that comes with a lid.
- Can I change or scale back the oil? Vegetable oil is a superb possibility for this cake. You possibly can change with a neutral-flavored oil comparable to avocado oil or canola oil. Be at liberty to make use of melted refined coconut oil (refined doesn’t have a lot of a coconut taste) and ensure each different ingredient within the cake batter is room temperature, so the oil doesn’t solidify. Don’t change with melted butter as a result of the cake will style dry. You possibly can change a small quantity of the oil with applesauce if wanted, however remember the fact that the cake will start to style dry/rubbery the extra oil you change.
- Applesauce: It’s greatest to make use of unsweetened applesauce on this recipe—you want a moist ingredient that gained’t overpower the opposite flavors within the cake. Be at liberty to make use of mashed banana, pumpkin puree, or canned crushed pineapple as a substitute, however remember the fact that the flavour of the cake will change.
- Shredded Apple: You possibly can skip the shredded apple (or carrot/zucchini) if wanted. The cake is lots moist with out it. Or be at liberty to interchange with chopped apple.
- Brown Butter in Frosting: For extra data and troubleshooting, see this put up on learn how to brown butter.
- Layer Cake: Grease three 8-inch or two 9-inch spherical cake pans, line with parchment paper rounds, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the desserts seamlessly launch from the pans. Divide batter evenly between the ready pans. Bake for about 25–26 minutes. The desserts are accomplished when a toothpick inserted within the middle comes out clear. The frosting recipe above is sufficient for a skinny layer on a 2-layer cake, however isn’t sufficient for a 3 layer cake. As a substitute, use the brown butter cream cheese frosting recipe/ratios from this banana layer cake so you’ve sufficient. Earlier than utilizing, refrigerate the ready frosting for at the least half-hour so it’s sturdier and might maintain up the layers. Right here’s learn how to assemble a layer cake.
- Bundt Cake: This cake batter will match right into a greased 10-cup or bigger Bundt pan. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 55–65 minutes. The baking time varies relying in your oven; hold your eye on the cake after 50 minutes. Be at liberty to cowl the cake loosely with aluminum foil about midway via to forestall heavy browning on high. Permit the cake to chill within 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 right here isn’t sufficient for two dozen cupcakes. As a substitute, use the brown butter cream cheese frosting recipe/ratios from this banana layer cake.