This old-fashioned spice cake is my favorite cake to bake for fall! The irresistible combination of moist spice cake with velvety smooth salted caramel buttercream frosting strikes the perfect balance between cozy autumn spices and salty-sweet caramel. This cake is a crowd-pleaser, so don't be surprised when your family and friends ask for seconds!
I can't think of a cake that's more perfectly suited to the fall and holiday baking seasons than this spice cake. With the flavors of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg front and center, this cake makes me want to snuggle up by the fireplace with a soft blanket, a good book, and a big slice!
The silky smooth salted caramel buttercream is the perfect pairing for this moist spice cake! The salty sweet caramel flavor is the perfect complement to enhance the cake's spice flavor, and the frosting is a breeze to make. I simply combined my trusty salted caramel sauce with my favorite American buttercream frosting and voilà: creamy, caramel-y, salty perfection!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Spice Flavor - Instead of playing a supporting role to other key flavors like pumpkin or apple, here the warming spices are the star of the show! Just like my chewy chai snickerdoodles and my molasses crinkle cookies, this recipe uses a combination of simple, seasonal spices to give the cake a robust (but not overly spicy) spice flavor.
Moist Texture - A mix of butter and oil also helps to enhance the cake's flavor while maintaining a moist and tender texture. Some spice cake recipes use applesauce, but a cake made with applesauce will never be as moist as one made using oil, so I opted to make this cake without applesauce.
Caramel Frosting - Oh my gosh, the salted caramel buttercream frosting!! I eat this stuff by the spoonful because it is truly that good. The salt ensures it isn't too sweet, and it pairs with the spice cake like peanut butter and jelly.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
All-Purpose Flour - This cake recipe uses all-purpose flour. For the most tender cake, it's best to use an all-purpose flour with a moderate protein content, like Gold Medal (10.5%), rather than a high-protein all-purpose flour like King Arthur (11.7%). If you only have high-protein all-purpose flour on hand, you can replace 1 cup of the flour with cake flour to limit the formation of gluten and help keep the cake tender.
Warming Spices - For the best flavor, opt for freshly ground spices or jars of ground spices that have been open for no more than a year, since their flavor fades over time.
Unsalted Butter - Butter provides necessary fat and flavor to the recipe. Unsalted butter lets us control the amount of salt in the recipe.
Vegetable Oil - Vegetable oil works with the butter; both provide needed fat, but butter provides flavor while the oil provides tenderness and extra moisture. Feel free to substitute another neutral oil like canola oil.
Eggs - Yes, you read that right... this recipe calls for 5 large eggs.
Salted Caramel Sauce - I used my favorite, easy homemade caramel sauce blended into classic, all-butter American buttercream frosting. If you use regular (not salted) caramel sauce, add ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt to the frosting when adding the vanilla.
Special Equipment
In addition to essential baking equipment (like a mixing bowl and spatula), I recommend some special tools for making this recipe.
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer, for mixing the cake batter and the frosting.
- Two 9 inch round metal cake pans, for baking the cakes.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Make the cake batter. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the oil and beat until blended.
Step 3: Whisk the eggs until fluffy. Add the milk and whisk until blended.
Step 4: Alternate adding the flour and egg mixtures to the butter mixture, mixing after each addition just until combined.
Step 5: Bake the cakes. Divide the batter evenly among two cake pans lined with parchment. Bake the cakes at 350°F for about 25 minutes. Let cool.
Step 6: Make the frosting. Beat butter until smooth. Add vanilla and beat until blended. Add sugar slowly, beating well and scraping the bowl often. Add milk and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Finally add caramel sauce and beat until well blended and fluffy.
Step 7: Frost the cake. First place one cake layer onto a cake plate or server. Using an offset spatula, spread some frosting on top of the layer and top with the other layer of cake. Spread remaining frosting over top and around sides of cake.
Allison's Top Tips
Don't skip the parchment paper in the bottom of your cake pans, since it helps to ensure that your cakes come out of the pans easily. Here's my easy trick for lining round pans with parchment paper.
Be sure to measure your ingredients carefully. Measuring incorrectly - especially if you add too much flour - can lead to a dry cake.
Do not over mix the cake batter after the flour is added, since this will make the cake less tender. Stop mixing as soon as the last bit of flour is incorporated.
Recipe FAQs
The two are similar, since they both rely on warming spices, like cinnamon, for flavor. Spice cake includes a more complex mix of spices - pairing cinnamon with ginger, nutmeg, and cloves - for a more robust spice flavor, but it does not include any mix-ins. Carrot cake is typically flavored with just cinnamon and contains shredded carrots (and often also contains nuts or other mix-ins like raisins or even pineapple). The mix-ins in carrot cake add additional moisture, sweetness, and texture to the cake batter.
Using a recipe like this one that contains oil instead of only butter will help to ensure a moist spice cake. Be sure to measure your ingredients carefully; adding too much flour can lead to a dry spice cake. Also be sure not to bake the cake too long and use an oven thermometer to ensure that you're baking the cake at the correct temperature.
Begin checking your cake at least 5 minutes before the stated bake time in the recipe (using your oven light without opening the door). When you think it may be ready, quickly and carefully pull it from the oven and do the "poke test": gently poke it with one finger to see if the top of the cake springs back. If it does, it's finished baking. You can double check that it's finished by inserting a cake tester or toothpick, which should come out with just a few moist crumbs. If you leave an indent when poking the cake, bake for a couple more minutes, being careful not to over-bake the cake.
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: The frosted cake can be stored at room temperature covered on a cake stand or in a cake carrier for 2 to 3 days. The sugar in the buttercream frosting acts as a preservative, making it safe to store out of the fridge for a few days.
Refrigerator: I do not recommend refrigerating the cake right away, since this will dry out the cake more quickly. However, if you want to keep enjoying the cake for a couple of extra days after it's been stored at room temperature, move it the fridge either in a cake carrier or another sealed container (or on a plate covered with plastic wrap) for up to 3 days.
Freezing: The unfrosted cake layers can be made ahead of time, cooled, wrapped, and frozen for up to 2 months. Be sure each layer is completely cooled before wrapping with a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. For an extra layer of protection, seal the wrapped cake layers in a sealed container or resealable plastic bag.
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Recipe
Spice Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
Special Equipment
- 2 9 inch round metal cake pans
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 ⅔ cups (320 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea salt
- 12 Tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (213 grams) dark brown sugar
- 1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams) vegetable oil
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (227 grams) whole milk
For the Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups (339 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (14 grams) vanilla extract
- 6 cups (678 grams) confectioners' sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (43 grams) whole milk
- ½ cup (148 grams) salted caramel sauce* (homemade or store-bought)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 9 inch round baking pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
Make the cake batter.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.2 ⅔ cups (320 grams) all-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder, 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground ginger, 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cloves, 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar by first beating the butter on medium-high speed until smooth (about 30 seconds) and then adding the sugar and continuing to beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (another 2 to 3 minutes).12 Tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, 1 cup (213 grams) dark brown sugar, 1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
- Add the oil to the butter and sugar and beat until blended.¼ cup (50 grams) vegetable oil
- In another small bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy. Add the milk and whisk until blended.5 large eggs,, 1 cup (227 grams) whole milk
- Add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until combined. Next, add half of the egg mixture and stir until blended. Continue to alternate adding the flour and egg mixtures to the batter, ending with the final third of the flour mixture. Be sure to mix well without over mixing (stirring gently and mixing just until combined) after each addition.
Bake the cake.
- Divide the batter evenly among the two prepared cake pans.
- Bake the cakes for about 25 minutes, or until the top springs back when poked and a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes before carefully removing from the pans to cool completely.
Make the frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer), beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Add vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until blended.1 ½ cups (339 grams) unsalted butter,, 1 Tablespoon (14 grams) vanilla extract
- Add sugar slowly - one cup at a time - beating well on medium speed and scraping the bowl often. When all sugar is added the frosting will be slightly dry.6 cups (678 grams) confectioners' sugar
- Add milk and beat on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.3 Tablespoons (43 grams) whole milk
- Add caramel sauce and beat on medium-high speed until well blended and fluffy.½ cup (148 grams) salted caramel sauce*
Frost the cake.
- To frost the cake, first place one cake layer onto a cake plate or server. Using an offset spatula, spread some frosting on top of the layer and top with the other layer of cake. Spread remaining frosting over top and around sides of cake.
Leslie says
Hi, Allison. I’m wondering if I can use fresh nutmeg ground myself from the actual nutmeg. What do you think?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Leslie! Absolutely you can! You may want to add a little bit less of the freshly-ground spice, since the flavor will be stronger than store-bought ground spices, or keep the measurements as-is for a deeper flavor.
- Allison
Angie Wamsley says
Can this be made in a 9x13 inch pan?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Angie! I haven't tested this cake in a 9x13 pan, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work. This should be the right amount of batter, but you'll probably need an extra 5-10 minutes of baking time. I would love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try!
- Allison
Jeany says
Is that 879 calories for the cake or one slice?
Allison Ferraro says
Hi Jeany! All nutrition facts provided are for one serving. In this case, a serving is one twelfth of a two-layer 9 inch cake with frosting.
- Allison
Carol says
Such a lovely recipe. My favourite part of fall is the wonderful treats like this cake. I just made a pumkin pie, so the next project on my list will be this cake, but I will be using half butter and half canola oil instead of mostly butter.I love the moistness that oil gives to cake but still want that flavour of butter so I think this will work just fine.
Allison Ferraro says
Thanks Carol! It sounds like great things are happening in your kitchen!! Please let me know how the cake turns out with the half butter and half oil tweak to the recipe. Happy baking!
- Allison