Homemade Spice Cake Recipe

My Grandma’s easy boiled Spice Cake is my most treasured dessert recipe. As a sweet brunch addition, birthday cake, or party dessert idea, there’s no wrong time to savor a slice.

This is the Best Spice Cake Recipe

Every summer when I was young, my family would pack up our car and drive north to a cabin for am extended family vacation. One taste of this Spice Cake recipe takes me instantly back there. All credit for this easy Spice Cake goes to my Grandma, who perfected and shared the recipe with me.

When Grandma made her Spice Cake, it was always moist with delicious flavor and gone within the first two days. While it likely won’t last long in your family either, the sweet memories you make while whipping it up time and time again sure will.

Spice Cake Recipe Ingredients

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

• Raisins: I love the chew factor these offer, but if you’re not fond of regular raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped dried figs would also work well. Or omit entirely.
• All purpose flour: Sift the flour together with the baking powder and baking soda to not only mix those ingredients, but to also ensure you don’t end up with any flour pockets hiding inside your cake batter (white flour is obvious in a dark cake like this one).
• Cinnamon
• Powdered Sugar
• Cloves
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Vanilla
• Eggs
• Water
• Butter
• Sugar

How to make Spice Cake

1. In medium saucepan over medium heat, combine raisins, sugar, water, butter, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil; remove from heat and cool completely, at least one hour. Pour into a large mixing bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease 12-inch bundt pan. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk eggs into cooled spice mixture until uniformly combined. Add dry ingredients in 3 batches, whisking well after each addition.

3. Pour batter in to prepared pan.

4. Bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely. Transfer to a plate or wire rack.

5. To make the glaze, in a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, water, and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Tips and variations for the Best Spice Cake Recipe

• Yield: This Spice Cake recipe makes one bundt cake, which serves between 12 to 20 depending on the thickness of your slices. This usually serves about 16 nice slices when I’m cutting.
• Your pan plan: My Grandma always made this in a 9-inch x 13-inch pan with stellar results, so if you don’t own (or don’t want to use) a bundt pan, that’s certainly a great option.
• One bowl: I love that this recipe is mixed by hand in one bowl, but you can certainly mix the cake batter in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment or with an electric mixer by hand. The batter can be mixed on medium-high speed.
• Mix up your spices: Customize the spice blend you use in your spice cake. Consider ground ginger, nutmeg, or allspice.
• Spice up your glaze: To echo the spices in the cake batter, feel free to add a pinch of cinnamon to your powdered sugar glaze if you like. Or, try a drizzle of Caramel Sauce with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
• Nuts: Fold in toasted walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts into your spice cake batter if you love some extra crunch.
• Cream Cheese frosting: For the ultimate indulgence, slather on a thick layer of homemade cream cheese frosting. This works better if you make the spice cake in a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan. If you use a cake pan, line it with parchment paper for the easiest clean-up.

Storing this Spice Cake Recipe from Scratch

Cover any extra cake in plastic wrap and store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Freezer

Cool an unglazed Spice Cake to room temperature, then wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature, then glaze and slice.

More fall desserts

If you’re craving more fall baking recipes, try Pumpkin Bars, Apple Cider donuts rolled in brown sugar and cinnamon, or Cinnamon Apple Cake.

More cozy cake recipes

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Spice Cake

By Meggan Hill

My Grandma's easy boiled Spice Cake is my most treasured dessert recipe. As a sweet brunch addition, birthday cake, or party dessert idea, there's no wrong time to savor a slice.

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings 16 servings

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 380

4.99 from 77 votes

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

For the Spice Cake:

• ▢ 2 cups raisins (see note 1)
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ ¾ cup butter
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour (see note 2)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 2 eggs beaten

For the glaze:

• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons water
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions 

• In medium sauce pan, combine raisins, sugar, water, butter, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil; remove from heat and cool completely, at least one hour. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease 12-inch bundt pan (or 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan). In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
• Whisk eggs into cooled spice mixture until uniformly combined. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, whisking well after each addition.
• Pour batter in to prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.
• To make the glaze, in a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, water, and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Raisins: I love the chew factor these offer, but if you’re not fond of regular raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped dried figs would also work well. Or omit entirely.
2. All purpose flour: Sift the flour together with the baking powder and baking soda to not only mix those ingredients, but to also ensure you don’t end up with any flour pockets hiding inside your cake batter (white flour is obvious in a dark cake like this one).
3. Yield: This Spice Cake recipe makes one bundt cake, which serves between 12 to 20 depending on the thickness of your slices. This usually serves about 16 nice slices when I’m cutting.
4. Storage: Cover any extra cake in plastic wrap and store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
5. Freezer: Cool an unglazed Spice Cake to room temperature, then wrap tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature, then glaze and slice.
6. Your pan plan: My Grandma always made this in a 9-inch x 13-inch pan with stellar results, so if you don’t own (or don’t want to use) a bundt pan, that’s certainly a great option.
7. Spice up your glaze: To echo the spices in the cake batter, feel free to add a pinch of cinnamon to your powdered sugar glaze if you like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 4gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 282mgPotassium: 188mgFiber: 2gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 296IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill