This is my idea of the perfect Spice Cake. It's super moist and packed with the rich flavors of cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.
Dark brown sugar, applesauce, yogurt and plenty of vanilla add even MORE flavor, while also keeping it moist and extremely tender.
"I have been making a different spice cake annually for years and finally found one I will come back to again and again. Thank you for this delicious recipe, the chocolate frosting was a perfect touch!" - Liz
Why This Recipe Works
When I set out to create this recipe, I envisioned a cake that was intensely flavorful, supremely moist, rich and decadent, and super tender.
As I discovered, baking an intensely flavorful spice cake is NOT simply a matter of increasing the amount of spices in the batter. Ground spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg have a drying effect on cakes and adding too much of them results in a gritty, somewhat parched texture. Not really what I was going for.
After baking cake after cake after cake, I settled on a few techniques and ingredients that result in what I consider to be the Perfect Spice Cake....
- Cooking (also called "blooming") the spices in oil intensifies their flavor and distributes their flavor more evenly throughout the cake.
- Using a varied mix of spices - cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger - creates a complex, warm flavor with surprising depth.
- Using vegetable oil instead of butter creates lofty layers with a super moist, even crumb.
- Greek yogurt and applesauce add flavor and contribute just the right amount of acidity to give the cake a soft, tender, almost silky texture.
- Dark brown sugar also helps to keep this cake moist while adding even more flavor.
- Vanilla brings out the flavor in the spices while also rounding them out and bringing their different flavors together.
- A touch of almond extract adds (you guessed it!) even more flavor as well as some nice complexity.
The secret to baking a flavor-packed spice cake
In cooking, there's an amazing trick to getting as much flavor as you possibly can from ground, dry spices: Cook them for a minute or two in fat. On my other cooking-focused recipe website (alittleandalot.com) you'll see this technique in nearly every recipe where dry spices are involved because it makes such a big difference to the flavor of a dish.
Cooking spices in a bit of fat is called "blooming" and it's essential if you want to coax every little bit of flavor from them. The process does two things:
- Heat causes ground spices to release fat-soluble flavor compounds that would otherwise remain bound up inside the spices and hidden from your tastebuds
- Fat molecules trap all that flavor and distribute it throughout the dish.
Fat is a fabulous conductor of flavor, trapping flavor compounds and distributing them throughout foods so that they make contact with our taste buds in every single bite. So, when you heat spices in butter or oil for a few minutes, the flavor compounds in the spices transfer to the fat, which then happily spreads them around throughout the other ingredients.
As I was trying to figure out a way to add more spice FLAVOR without increasing the amount of spices to the point of creating a dry, gritty texture, it occurred to me that that the answer was as simple as employing a technique I use practically every night while preparing dinner: let the spices bloom.
Happily, the technique works every bit as well in cake batter as it does in soup, sautés, and stir-fries.
The process is simple....
- Add some oil to a small skillet or saucepan and stir in the spices.
- Heat the pan over medium heat until the oil begins to simmer.
- Cook the spices in the oil for a minute or so, then remove the pan from the heat and let the oil cool to room temperature.
After that, you simply mix it into the batter with the rest of the oil and let those fat molecules do what they do best - distribute all that flavor. Speaking of oil...
Why this recipe uses oil instead of butter
Like Olive Oil Cake, and my all-time favorite Ridiculously Good Carrot Cake, this spice cake recipe uses oil instead of butter. When compared to butter, cakes baked with oil are loftier, have a more even crumb and stay moist and fresh tasting much longer.
So, why don’t all cake recipes use oil instead of butter? Because butter adds flavor.
Because I want it all, I often use a combination of butter and oil. Two of my other favorite cake recipes - Red Velvet Cake and Devil's Food Cake - use a combination of butter and oil that works like magic. You get the flavor of butter in a gorgeously tender, moist cake.
In this cake, I decided to go with all oil because I wanted a super moist cake AND there is already SO much flavor in the other ingredients - spices, applesauce, yogurt, brown sugar, vanilla and almond extract - that the flavor contribution of butter wasn't really going to matter.
For a tender and moist cake, use these 2 ingredients
- Greek Yogurt
- Applesauce
Most varieties of cake benefit from a touch of acidity. Even slightly acidic ingredients add flavor and create a soft, tender crumb. In this recipe, most of the acid comes from Greek yogurt and applesauce.
Neither of these ingredients are super acidic, so they enhance the flavor of the cake rather than taking over.
In addition to adding flavor and tenderness, both Greek yogurt and applesauce help create a super moist cake that will stay that way for several days.
Best frosting choices for spice cake
The traditional answer to that question is Cream Cheese Buttercream. BUT, before we get to that, I want to make the case for a more unusual option - Chocolate Buttercream.
The idea of combining warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg with chocolate is not unusual in many places around the world. For example, Mexican chocolate includes cinnamon and sometimes other spices like nutmeg or allspice. And Moroccan chocolate desserts often include cardamom, cinnamon and orange peel.
So, icing a cake that’s packed with the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, and ginger with chocolate buttercream is really not a unique idea. And, I really hope you'll hear me on this - The combination of flavors is interesting, complex, and absolutely delicious.
But also... cream cheese buttercream on spice cake rocks.
Cream Cheese Buttercream is one of those magical confections that is as delicious as it is simple and easy to make. You basically put all the ingredients into a bowl, whip them together, and you’re done.
My FAVORITE recipe for Cream Cheese Buttercream includes equal amounts of butter and cream cheese and a touch of sour cream, which adds a lovely, subtle tang.
Or, if you want a lighter, more mild flavored buttercream, mascarpone frosting is where it's at. It's incredibly light and creamy and tastes like a thicker, richer, more flavorful version of whipped cream.
Three other delicious buttercream options:
- American Buttercream. This classic American Buttercream recipe only takes a few minutes to make and is silky smooth and flavorful thanks to butter, heavy cream, vanilla and a touch of almond extract.
- Italian Meringue Buttercream. Italian Meringue Buttercream is my all time favorite frosting for most cakes and cupcakes. It’s silky smooth, incredibly creamy, and absolutely gorgeous to work with.
- White Chocolate Ganache Buttercream. This White Chocolate Ganache Buttercream tastes just like the inside of a really good white chocolate truffle. It's impossibly rich, and so smooth and satiny that it literally melts on your tongue.
More Popular Cake Recipes:
Spice Cake is a Building Block Recipe
Building block recipes are tried-and-true recipes that I consider foundational to great home baking. They are the kind of recipes I come back to over and over again, sometimes baking them as is, but often using them as a jumping off point to create something new. > Scroll through all Building Block recipes.
📖 Recipe
Intensely Flavorful, Super Moist Spice Cake
This is my idea of the perfect Spice Cake. It's super moist and packed with the rich flavors of cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Dark brown sugar, applesauce, yogurt and plenty of vanilla add even MORE flavor, while also keeping it moist and extremely tender.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (198 grams) vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 ½ cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon table salt, OR 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cups (372 grams) dark or light brown sugar
- 1 cup (255 grams) unsweetened applesauce
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- ⅔ cup (153 grams) plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt, preferably full fat (reduced fat is fine, but do not use non-fat)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional; you can add another teaspoon of vanilla instead)
Instructions
- Add ¼ cup of the vegetable oil to a small skillet or saucepan. Stir in cinnamon, caramom, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg and set the pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the oil begins to simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute longer. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit until it's just slightly warm. (Letting it sit longer, is fine. Just don't add it to the batter while it's really hot.)
- If baking a layer cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour two 8 or 9-inch cake pans, lining the bottoms with parchment paper. (Here's how to grease and flour pans and line them with parchment paper.) If making cupcakes, heat oven to 400 degrees, lightly spray the top of two cupcake pans with non-stick spray, and line the cavities with paper liners.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a bowl and stir with a wire whisk to combine.
- Scrape the cooked spices (after they've cooled) into a large bowl, using a spatula to transfer all of it from the saucepan to the bowl. Add the remaining vegetable oil, brown sugar, applesauce, eggs, grated ginger, yogurt, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat vigorously with a wire whisk until well combined.
- Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth and most of the lumps are gone. It's ok if there are a few lumps here and there, but the batter should be 90% smooth.
- Distribute the batter between the two pans, or amongst the cupcake pans. Cupcake cavities should be approximatly ¾ full.
- If baking a layer cake: bake the cakes for 40 - 43 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in one of the layers comes out without any raw batter on it. If baking cupcakes: bake cupcakes for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature of the oven (leaving the oven door closed) to 350 degrees and bake for 17-20 minutes longer. (Be very careful to not let them overbake!) The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out without any raw batter on it.
- Let the cakes cool in their pans for about 5 minutes, then gently flip them out onto wire racks and let cool completely before filling and frosting. Let the cupcakes sit in the pans until cool enough to lift out. Let cool completely before frosting.
Notes
Store this cake (unfrosted and well-wrapped) at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Once frosted, the cake will also keep well for 2 days - but if frosted with a buttercream, be sure to refrigerate it.
Best Frosting Recipes for this Cake:
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 slice (unfrosted)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 193Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 352mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 5g
Shelby says
Hi! This recipe sounds amazing! Do you happen to know if it can be made into cupcakes? If so, what the approx bake time and temp would be? Thanks!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Shelby! Yes, this can be made into cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes for 5 minutes at 400 degrees then reduce the oven temperature down to 350 and bake for an additional 17-20 minutes longer. Watch them carefully to ensure they don't over bake - different ovens respond differently to reducing the oven temperature. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out without any raw batter on it. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'd love to hear how this recipe works out for you!
Todd Harl says
I was looking for a special cake to make for dessert for Christmas dinner and this one fit the bill. My family loved it - super most and flavorful cake. I opted for a cream cheese buttercream frosting with a bit of orange zest mixed in. Excellent. I had never baked a cake using applesauce - turned out excellent.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am so happy to hear that you and your family liked this recipe, Todd! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me. I truly appreciate it! xo
Carolyn says
Just wondering if I could use more applesauce in place of the yogurt, since I do not have Any yogurt on hand. I live in the country, so do not have quick access to a grocery store:)
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Carolyn! I'd suggest using either buttermilk, or "homemade" buttermilk: Measure out 2/3 cup milk and remove 1 tablespoon, replacing it with either lemon juice or vinegar. Stir, and let the milk sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. You could also use sour cream if you have that. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear how this cake comes out for you! xo
Karen says
Does this cake bake well in a single layer 9 x 13 if so what temperature would you recommend and bake time?
My daughter would love a spice cake ( for her 28th birthday this week) and this looks wonderful!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Karen! Yes - this cake should bake up well in a 9x13-inch pan. Bake the cake at 350 and check it after 40 minutes. The cake will probably take 60 minutes to bake, but take a quick peak at it after 40 minutes and then keep an eye on it. The cake should appear set in the middle and be pulling away from the sides of the pan slightly. When you see that happening, stick a toothpick in the center of the cake and check it for any raw batter. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear what you and your daughter (Happy Birthday to her!) think of this cake after you make it! xo
Nawee says
Hi,
Is it possible to use just yogurt? I haven't got apple sauce at the moment or apples too make apple sauce.
Thank you.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! I think that substituting the applesauce in this recipe for another cup of yogurt will work well. Using only yogurt will likely result in a cake that's a bit more dense. But, the yogurt will keep it tender, so even if it's on the dense side, it won't be tough and should still be delicious. If you make this, will you let me know how it comes out for you! And, please let me know if you have any more questions! xo
Liz says
I have been making a different spice cake annually for years and finally found one I will come back to again and again. Thank you for this delicious recipe, the chocolate frosting was a perfect touch!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am so happy to hear that you liked this recipe Liz!!! I know that not everyone will like the combination of chocolate and spice cake, but I adore it and am happy to hear that there are others in the world who love it too. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me. I truly appreciate it! xo
Valerie says
Could this be baked in a Bundt pan?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Valerie! I don't see why not. I would suggest baking it at 325 though. Because bundt cakes are so thick, the slightly lower temperature will help the center cook before the top of the cake starts to get overdone. I'm not sure how long it will take... but, my guess is that it will take at least 60 minutes, possibly as long as 90 minutes. Just keep an eye on it. Would you do me a favor and let me know how this comes out for you? I'd guess that other readers would be interested! Thank you! xo
Nicole says
Could powdered ginger be used in place of fresh? If so, how much would you recommend? Thanks!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Nicole! Yes - you can use powdered ginger instead of fresh ginger. I'd suggest using 2 tsp. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And, I'd love to hear what you think of this cake after you make it! xo
Mary Todd-Guay says
I really want to try this cake but cannot find the recipe on this site. I read the entire post, tried going back up to "jump to recipe" but all I can find are comments. Where is the actual recipe?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! THANK YOU so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me to ask about this recipe! We're not sure how it happened, but somehow some bad code got into this post causing a whole section - including the recipe - to not show up on the front end of the site. Thanks to your comment, we found the problem and corrected it. You should see the recipe now. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ♥️
Charity says
Love the concept of "blooming" the spices! When I make dressings from scratch, I soak my seasonings in hot water before mixing the dressing but I've never thought of doing something similar with cake. Great tips here! Can't wait to try your recipe!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Great tip on adding spices to salad dressing! Thanks for sharing! And, I do hope you'll let me know what you think of this recipe after you make it. Happy Baking! xo
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Oh this looks amazing! I love spice cake so much! I cannot wait to try this!