This Gluten Free Spice Cake is an absolute showstopper. Moist cake is perfectly spiced with warm fall flavors and is generously layered with tangy, decadent cream cheese frosting. This is one of my all-time favorite cakes, and it's hard to have just one slice!
What Makes This Gluten Free Spice Cake So Special
I turned 30 last month, and I was craving that magical combo of spice cake and cream cheese frosting for my birthday cake. There is just something so unique and comforting about all those warming spices with cream cheese!
I never realized how hard it was to find a spice cake recipe that wasn't full of apple sauce, carrot shreds, or other weird ingredients. What's wrong with a good old-fashioned yellow cake with spices in it, why was it so difficult to find?! Frustration was brewing with the spice cake recipes I found that just didn't fit. I craved a cake that was gluten-free yet still moist with the perfect crumb!
So naturally... I made my own recipe! I created a gluten free spice cake the way it should be.
Many may think it's weird that I like to make my own birthday cake, but it's actually something I look forward to every year! Last year I made Tres Leches cake and loved every minute of the process. I usually make something that's difficult to find in a store or restaurant, let alone a gluten-free version, like this Gluten Free Carrot Cake. It's an exciting challenge I'm happy to take on!
It's purely magical...
This gluten free spice cake turned out with a PERFECT texture. It's moist, holds together well, and is everything you hope for in a gluten free cake! The flavor is EXACTLY what I was searching for. Whew, finally! The warm autumn spices pack a tasty punch on their own, but they were so balanced when paired with the tangy cream cheese frosting.
This cake was so good that I almost didn't have any cake for pictures the next day. It was just that good. I'd call that a successful baking endeavor!
Looking for more gluten free desserts?
- Gluten Free Coffee Cake
- Gluten Free Birthday Cake
- Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting
- Dutch Baby aka German Pancake
If you've tried and loved this recipe, please leave a comment and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below!
PrintSpice cake with Cream Cheese frosting
A perfectly moist gluten free spice cake with decadent cream cheese frosting
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 Servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Butter ((Room temp))
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 4 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3 cups Bob's Red Mill's gluten free 1 to 1 flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp Ginger
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Nutmeg
- ½ tsp Cardamom
- ½ tsp Clove
- 1 cup Buttermilk
For the Frosting
- 16 oz Cream cheese ((Room temp))
- 1 cup Butter ((Room temp))
- 1 lb Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 pinch Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease your baking pans (I used two spring form pans)
- In a stand mixer cream together the sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Once those are creamed together, with the mixer on low add one egg at a time and the vanilla extract, until everything is fully combined.
- In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredient and whisk together until everything is well mixed.
- Turn your mixer to a low speed and slowly add the dry ingredients and buttermilk until it is fully combined.
- Divide batter into your greased baking pans and bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and comes out clean.
- Place cakes on a rack to cool before removing them from the pan. Let them cool completely before frosting.
Frosting
- In a stand mixer cream together the cream cheese and butter. Then with the mixer on low speed add the remaining ingredients, taking care to add the powdered sugar slowly. Allow to whip together completely.
- Frost and decorate cake as desired.
Notes
I do not recommend subbing out alternative flours (almond, quinoa, etc) as the resulting cake would not be the same texture or density.
Christine
Second year in a row making this for the hubby’s bday. The family especially loves the frosting. Thank you!
★★★★★
Alycia Louise
Thank you so much. I'm glad they love it. I hope your hubby had a wonderful birthday!
Lorraine Herzberg
For the Spice cake with Cream Cheese frosting recipe, is the 1/2 tsp. cardamom dry or did you use essential oil? I only have the essential oil version.
Alycia Louise
Hi Lorraine,
The recipe uses ground spices but if you want to use your cardamom essential oil I suggest only using 1 or 2 drops of it in the recipe. Otherwise it might be too strong. I have yet to use my essential oils to make this cake so let me know how it turns out!
Deb
I don't have a stand mixer! Any adjustments needed for a hand mixer?
ANd, how do you think this would work for a retangluar pan cake?
Alycia Louise
Hi Deb,
There shouldn't be any adjustments for using a stand mixer and it should be just fine to use a rectangular pan. Enjoy!
Sally London
Can I use yogurt instead of buttermilk with this recipe? I am gluten intolerant but can eat icelandic yogurt like Siggi's. I plan to bake this tomorrow so please get back with me. Thanks.
Alycia Louise
Hi Sally!
You should be able to switch out the buttermilk with Yogurt just fine, but if the yogurt is a thick consistency you might want to dilute it with milk/milk alternative or water a little bit as Buttermilk isn't as thick as most Yogurts.
Katie
This recipe is really good. Totally listen about letting it cool before taking them out. I destroyed one of my cakes with my lack of patience lol
★★★★★
Alycia Louise
Oh no, I've totally been there, thankfully it still tastes great even if it's in pieces.
Thanks for the feedback Katie!
Heidi Baker Glover
Hello, can you tell me how many cupcakes this would yield, please?
Alycia Louise
Hi Heidi,
I haven't used this recipe to make cupcakes yet but I would guess it would at least give you 24.
Liana
Hi can you sub almond meal or quinoa flour?
Alycia Louise
Hi Liana,
You can try subbing another flour but the resulting cake will not be the same texture or density. Almond meal alone would probably create a dense and crumbly cake and I am not sure what Quinoa flour would do as I've never used it. If you need to sub the flour for something else I suggest using blends of flours and starches and not just one type of flour.
Christine
Just here for my annual tradition of making this cake. Thank you ❤️