This spice cake is a wonderful winter treat!

February is an odd transition month in the baking world. It signifies the fast approach of Spring, yet most are still battling winter temperatures. Flavors of pumpkin spice and peppermint are long gone, but it is still too soon to start making lemon bars and key lime pie. So, what do you do when you want to bake on a cold February day? Make spice cake, of course! 

I initially found this recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction, one of my favorite blogs for baking inspiration! After sitting on my “to bake” list for a couple of months, I figured that it would be the perfect treat on a snowy Saturday. 

Spice cake itself is pretty self explanatory. It is a basic white cake with a mixture of spices added in, resulting in a warm, comforting dessert! While you could easily buy a boxed cake mix, this homemade version is so much better! 

This recipe was slightly more elevated than the traditional spice cake. Though this made the recipe a little more time consuming, it was definitely worth the effort. 

One of the first ingredients that was different from the traditional spice cake was the addition of shredded apples (you could also use shredded carrots or zucchini) in the batter. I was initially skeptical because I thought that the juice from the apples would make the batter too watery. Additionally, I was worried that once the apples cooked, it would leave the cake with a stringy texture; however, I was proved wrong. The juice from the apples made the cake extra moist and did not cause any problems when cooking the batter. The apple shreds were undetectable in the cake– nobody noticed them when they ate the finished product! The recipe also calls for applesauce. I found this odd at first, as I had never thought of using applesauce to replace butter in a recipe; however, when mixed with the vegetable oil, it gave the cake an incredibly moist texture once baked. 

A personal change that I made was the frosting used on the cake. The recipe initially calls for a cream cheese buttercream. I substituted this with a traditional vanilla frosting because we did not want to drive to the store in snow and rain for a block of cream cheese! While I am sure that a cream cheese frosting would complement this cake perfectly, the vanilla frosting tasted delicious as well! 

This recipe is great for picky eaters, or those baking for picky eaters, because of how flexible it is. If somebody doesn’t like shredded apples, replace it with shredded carrot or zucchini! If you’re not a cream cheese fan, replace the cream cheese buttercream with one that you like! 

This cake received rave reviews from everyone who tried it! Though it made a 9×13 pan, the entire dessert was gone within 48 hours. I was concerned that the applesauce and shredded apple would ruin it for the picky eaters in my family, but even they loved it! 

Find the spice cake recipe here. 

It is difficult to go wrong with this recipe. Bakers of all skill levels will be able to make this cake with ease. It makes enough to feed a crowd, and is sure to be enjoyed by cake lovers (as long as they like cinnamon and nutmeg)! If you are looking for a warm cake on a cold day, give this recipe a try!