Who has the time (or patience) to bake, chill, and decorate a fancy layer cake around the holidays?! Not me 😅 That's why I made this spice cake recipe! It's so soft & fluffy with the best warm flavors, and the brown butter cream cheese frosting takes it to a whole new level! It's baked in a loaf pan, making it super quick to whip up and easy to slice & share with your guests!
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When I was testing this fall recipe, my husband, Chris, tried it and exclaimed that the nutty caramel-like brown butter in the frosting was perfect to pair with the cake's warm spices! And honestly, I still can't get over its fluffy texture. We refrigerated the leftovers and had them throughout the week, and Chris said it was even better the next day!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a simple loaf cake that anyone can make! No need for multiple cake pans, crumb-coating, or time-consuming decorating like with layer cakes.
- You can control the sweetness & flavors. Add the icing or enjoy it plain, adjust the spice levels, use regular or brown butter…we'll talk substitutions & variations under the Ingredients section below!
- This cake stays moist for days thanks to sour cream, kefir, and molasses in the batter.
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this delicious spice cake with frosting:
Ingredient Notes:
- Brown sugar adds moisture and a caramely sweetness that pairs beautifully with the warm spices. You can use either light or dark brown sugar depending on how rich you want the flavor to be (or whatever you have on hand)!
- Sour cream makes this cake extra tender and helps create that perfect moist crumb we all love in a good spice cake.
- Molasses gives the cake a rich, deep flavor and beautiful color. Make sure you're using regular molasses (not blackstrap, which can be too bitter). Grandma's Unsulfured Molasses is my go-to! I use it in my small-batch ginger molasses cookies, too.
- Kefir adds a bit of tang and moisture to the cake. It's almost completely lactose-free and filled with nutrients. Lifeway sponsored this recipe, but I'd choose their plain organic whole milk kefir regardless!
- Cream cheese should be softened to room temperature for the frosting. If it's too cold, you'll end up with lumps!
- Browned butter is what makes this frosting special. You'll start with 3 tablespoons of butter, which cooks down to about 2 tablespoons of browned butter with all those delicious nutty bits 😋
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Don't have kefir? You can substitute with an equal amount of buttermilk!
- Don't want to brown butter? You can use 2 tablespoons of regular room temperature butter in the frosting instead. It won't have that nutty flavor, but it'll still be tasty!
- Not a frosting fan? This spiced cake is amazing on its own if you want to skip the frosting! You could also sprinkle the top with a mixture of cinnamon & sugar, instead.
- Make it in a square pan: This recipe also works in an 8x8-inch metal pan. Start checking for doneness around 35 minutes since the sheet cake will bake faster in the shallower pan.
- Add mix-ins: Fold in ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter for extra texture and crunch, like in my spiced walnut cake recipe!
- Want more or less spice? Adjust the spice measurements to fit your flavor preferences!
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
most valuable tool
Food Scale
Weigh your ingredients using a food scale for the most accurate measurements and easy clean-up!
How to Make This Spice Cake
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray and create a sling with parchment paper to easily lift the cake out later. I like to secure the parchment down to the sides with plain metal binder clips so they don't flap over onto the cake batter!
Step 1: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Step 2: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream, and molasses really well.
Step 3: Alternately mix the dry ingredients and kefir into the wet ingredients until everything is combined well.
Step 4: Pour the spice cake batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350°F on the oven's middle rack until a toothpick comes out clean (about 48-53 minutes).
While the cake is baking, brown your butter for the frosting (optional)! Cook the butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat while stirring frequently to prevent burning. Once brown nutty-smelling bits form, remove from heat, transfer to a heat-safe container, and let it cool to room temperature.
Step 5: Make the frosting. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese until smooth then stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Mix in the powdered sugar until smooth.
Step 6: Frost the cooled cake before serving.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients! Take eggs and dairy out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Cold eggs and dairy won't mix as smoothly into the batter and can affect the texture!
- Don't overmix the batter! Once you add the flour, mix just until you don't see any more dry streaks. Over-mixing can lead to a tough, dense cake.
- Watch your browned butter carefully! It can go from golden to burnt in seconds. Stir often, and once you see those brown bits forming and smell that nutty aroma, take it off the heat immediately.
- Let the browned butter cool completely before adding it to the cream cheese. If it's too warm, it'll melt the cream cheese and make your frosting soupy. You can speed up the cooling by placing it in the fridge.
- Don't frost a warm cake! Even if it's just slightly warm, the frosting will melt right off. Let that cake cool completely! I know it's hard, but patience pays off here!
Common Questions
Yes! If you don't want to brown the butter, you can use 2 tablespoons of regular room temperature butter in the frosting instead. The frosting will still be delicious, just without that nutty caramel-like flavor.
Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, it's done! If there's wet batter on the toothpick, give it another 3-5 minutes and check again.
Yes! You can bake this in an 8x8-inch metal pan instead of a loaf pan. The baking time will be less since it's shallower, so I recommend starting to check it around 35 minutes.
This usually happens from over-measuring flour or over-baking. Use a food scale to weigh your flour in grams for the most accurate measurements. Also, make sure you take your cake out when a toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back with a gentle poke. The top may still have a bit of slightly raw-looking batter in the middle, but it'll continue to bake in the hot pan after removing it from the oven!
Yes! You can bake the cake and make the frostings a day ahead of time. Wrap the cake at room temperature and store the frosting in the refrigerator. 30-60 minutes before you're ready to frost and serve, let the frosting soften at room temperature.
You can find Lifeway Kefir in many grocery stores in the refrigerated dairy aisle, or on lifewaykefir.com/where-to-buy!
Storage
Room Temperature
Store the unfrosted cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator
Once frosted, store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving for the best flavor and texture.
Freezing Instructions
Wrap the unfrosted, cooled cake tightly in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature, then make the frosting and layer it on before serving.
Did you try this recipe?
Let us know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing it on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest!
Thank you!
-Kayla
📖 Recipe
Easy Spice Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 9x5" loaf pan lightly greased and lined with parchment paper
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Electric mixer recommended
Ingredients
Spice Cake
- 1¾ cups (218.75 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar dark or light, packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) molasses
- ¼ cup (60 g) Lifeway Organic Plain Whole Milk Kefir room temperature
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional)
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter browned and cooled to room temperature (about 2 tablespoons of browned butter)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
Spice Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan with nonstick spray and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream, and molasses really well.
- Alternately mix the dry ingredients and kefir into the wet ingredients until everything is combined well.
- Pour the spice cake batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake on the oven's middle rack until a toothpick comes out clean (about 48-53 minutes).
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then transfer it to a wire cooling rack.Make the frosting while it cools to room temperature.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional)
- Cook the butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat while stirring frequently to prevent burning. Once brown nutty-smelling bits form, remove from heat, transfer to a heat-safe container, and let it cool to room temperature.Notes: 1) You can place the browned butter in the refrigerator to cool faster. 2) If you don't want to use browned butter, you can replace it with 2 tablespoons of room temperature butter.
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese until smooth.
- Stir in the butter and vanilla extract.
- Mix in the powdered sugar until everything is combined well and smooth.
Frost the Cake
- Once the cake has cooled and you're ready to serve it, spread the frosting over the top. Slice and enjoy!
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Do I have to use the whole milk kefir or can I use regular milk?
Regular whole milk should be fine, or buttermilk if you have it!
This cake was very easy and absolutely delicious. I will keep this in my cake recipe lineup. My family enjoyed this cake as well. I followed the directions as they were written and it baked beautifully. The brown butter frosting took the cake to a new and wonderful level. Do not hesitate to give this recipe a try. You won't be sorry. Thank you, Kayla! I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you for trying my recipe and sharing this, Ellen!! I'm so happy you loved it! This and my carrot cake are my favorite cake recipes 😋 can't wait to see what else you make!