Easy gluten-free spice cake. Moist and tender. Perfect finished with cream cheese frosting.
This Gluten-Free Spice Cake is
- a one-bowl recipe
- easy-to-make
- tender-and-moist (not heavy or gummy)
- great with frosting; great without
- made in a sheet pan (Layers and cupcakes are options too!)
Gluten-Free Spice Cake Ingredients
Here’s the thing: the ingredient list for gluten-free spice cake looks long. Why? The spices. But if you take a second to read the other ingredients, you’ll see that they aren’t anything too fancy.
Gluten-Free Flour: This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. It makes for a nice moist and dense spice cake. If you use a different flour, use one that includes xanthan or guar gum. Without those ingredients, the cake comes out too dense and won’t rise.
Brown and Granulated Sugar. Brown sugar adds a nice molasses flavor and helps to keep the cake moist. But too much of it proved too much of a good thing. It made the cake a bit too moist. To solve this, I swapped out half the brown sugar for half granulated sugar. It gave me a cake with a moist, delicate crumb and just the right level of sweetness. (I haven’t tested this recipe with sugar-replacements.)
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: A combination of baking powder and baking soda helps the cake rise. And the baking soda enhances the flavor and browning.
Salt. Enhances the flavor and controls the sweetness.
Spices. Here’s where the magic is at! Ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg give the spice cake it’s spicy flavor. You can replace the individual spices with a spice blend, like pumpkin spice, but the flavor will be a little different.
Vanilla Extract. There’s only a teaspoon of vanilla extract in this cake and you can’t really taste it. So why use it? The vanilla extract enhances the spices and, frankly, just makes the cake taste good.
Eggs. Helps the cake to rise and gives it structure and a delicate texture. (I haven’t tested this cake with a flax egg but several of my testers did with excellent results.)
Oil: Makes for a moist, light cake.
Water. Smooths out the batter.
How to Make Gluten-Free Spice Cake
This is a one-bowl gluten-free cake. You don’t even need to use an electric mixer to make the batter. (But if you want to use on, go ahead!)
- Preheat the oven. Baking a cake in a hot oven ensures it rises to its full potential.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. Take care to break up the brown sugar so there are no little lumps of it.
- Add the eggs, oil, and water. Whisk until a batter forms. Switch to a rubber spatula to ensure there’s no dry gluten-free flour hanging out in the bottom of the pan.
- Spread batter into prepared pan. I like to make spice cake in a 9×13-inch pan. Instructions are included below for two rounds and cupcakes.
- Bake. As always, it’s best to use visual cues to tell when this cake is done. Look for it to be set in the center. A 9×13 inch cake takes about 40 minutes to bake. (Bonus: the house smells amazing while the cake bakes.)
- Make Frosting. While the cake bake, make the frosting. Cream cheese is the classic frosting for spice cake but use any frosting you love.(Or skip this step if you don’t want frosting.)
- Cool the cake. Unlike most cakes, this one cools right in the pan. It takes about an hour or so to cool.
- Frost. Once the cake is cool, frost it. (To make sure it’s cool, put your hand on the bottom of the pan, right in the center. It should not feel warm. If it’s still warm, the frosting will melt into a mess.)
Gluten-Free Spice Cake
Easy and moist gluten-free spice cake.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (10 ounces; 285 grams)
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (5 ½ ounces; 158 grams)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (5 ½ ounces; 158 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ cup canola or other vegetable oil (5 ¼ ounces; 148 grams)
- 4 large eggs (out of shell, about 8 ounces; 226 grams)
- ⅓ cup water (2 ⅔ ounces; 75 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (4 ounces; 113 grams)
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened (2 ounces; 56 grams)
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (8 ounces; 226 grams)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
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Whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove. Add the oil, eggs, water, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
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Bake until golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean, about 40 minutes.
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Cool and frost. Allow cake to cool in the pan. When cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
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Cream Cheese Frosting
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Combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Cream until light and smooth. Add powdered sugar. Mix until smooth. Spread on cooled cake.
Recipe Notes
Other Pan Sizes
Round Layer Cake: Use two greased 8-inch round cake pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Double cream cheese frosting recipe when making a round layer cake.
Cupcakes: This makes about 24 standard cupcakes. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clea, about 20 minutes.
Fiona says
Hi. Thank you so much for offering a gluten free spice cake. I did make some changes, as I don’t care to use that much oil or that many eggs in my recipes. I subbed them out for canned pumpkin. I used 3/4 cup of canned pumpkin, 1/4 oil , 3 eggs and another 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin. Also, the instructions were a bit confusing as you discussed using milk, yet there is no milk in the recipe. So even after adding the recommended water amount, I used 1/3 cup of milk as well. The pan suggestions were confusing for me as well. I ended up using one 9×13 that I greased with butter only.
I also added another cup of flour as the batter seemed too thin.
The cake had to be baked a little differently due to the pumpkin, water AND milk. I baked it uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then I covered it with foil and baked it another 15 minutes. I left it covered on the counter, for about 10 minutes, but then I removed the foil to keep the moisture from accumulating on top of the cake.
The icing was another issue. It was way too thin and not near enough, so I added another cup of powdered sugar, more vanilla, 1/4 cup of milk, 1 ounce of cream cheese, 1T butter and then still added more powdered sugar until I got it thick enough to not run. (So I thought). It ended up still running off the (completely cooled cake), the longer it set out. So, I ended up putting it the fridge. But the flavor really is awesome!!…..tastes just like it better than a non-gluten free version! My family kept going back for more (and they are not gluten free)!!
I would make this again. I just need to figure out this icing thing!
Elizabeth says
Hi Fiona,
Sorry you found the directions confusing.
The recipe can be made in either one 9×13 pan or two 8-inch round or 24 cupcakes.
The frosting should be enough to frost the top of one 9×13 inch cake. I never add milk to my cream cheese frosting, as it makes it way to thin. If you were to add milk, I’d add it a teaspon at a time. I imagine that adding 1/4 cup of milk would have given you an thin icing instead of frosting.
If the frosting wasn’t enough for your taste, I’d simply double the recipe.
Hope that helps!
Lisa Rhein says
Oh my goodness, these are delicious! I added 1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts and 1 cup peeled diced fresh apple to the batter, and made muffins! They are great for breakfast with coffee. I don’t think they even need frosting with the nuts and apples. Thank you for yet another easy, perfect GF baking recipe!
Kristin says
This was superb! Seriously…the best spice cake we have ever eaten…GF or otherwise! After realizing we didn’t have the Bob’s GF One-to-One Flour (this is usually a staple in our pantry!), I substituted King Arthur’s GF Baking Mix because it was on hand. I added all the ingredients to my BREAD MACHINE, hit the cake cycle, and crossed my fingers that this concoction would work. To our delight, it was PERFECTION! Can’t wait to make it again!
beth says
the best GF cake i’ve ever made! the only change i made was to throw in a handful of pecans. the texture is simply amazing and not like most GF baked goods that i’ve made. i’m making another one to take to the big family Thanksgiving meal next week!
Christy says
I’m so happy I found this recipe. I struggle to bake gluten, dairy, and tree nut free recipes. Most recipes I find have almond flour which I cannot use and when I substitute the almond flour it is terrible. THIS however was moist, not dense, and delicious. I made it as a double layer cake for my birthday and it was so good. I used daiya dairy free cream cheese for the icing along with earth balance vegan butter. I’ll be making this again soon. Thank you!
Jan says
I just made this spice cake today for my women’s study group as one of our gals can’t eat wheat products. The GF flour I used had the xantham gum in the mix so everything turned out perfectly! I made a round layer cake so doubled the frosting recipe and it was delicious. The gal who has wheat intolerance couldn’t believe it was a scratch cake and how good it was. Lots of compliments! I’ll definitely make this recipe again!
Jean says
Rarely do I find a recipe this good. I make mine in a Nordic Ware non stick bundt type pan and bake for 40 minutes. But I am at high altitude so this may not work for those under 1 mile up. I served this to my non gluten intolerant, truth telling friends and it was a winner, as written, without frosting and the day after baking. Anyone who bakes gluten free knows the product generally is best consumed the day of. This froze well to boot.
Fiona says
Hello.
Could you tell me please if the flour is plain ( all purpose ) or self raising ?
Thanks.
Elizabeth says
The flour is plain. Not self-rising. None of my recipes use self-rising gluten-free flour. It’s not commonly available in the United States
Fiona says
I’m not sure why my last post was rejected as I only asked if GF baking flour was the same as All Purpose or Plain ?? Let’s hope this one isn’t rejected ? I wanted to say thank you. I have finally found a ginger cake ( spice cake ) that is still fresh and moist on the second day. So many GF cakes that I’ve tried have been dry after one day. This gives me hope and I’m going to try more of your recipies ?
Elizabeth says
Your post wasn’t rejected. I’m only one person and approve each comment.
Fiona says
Thank you. Wasn’t trying to be rude it’s just that is happened on other websites and I wanted to make sure you knew how much I loved this recipe.
Cecilia says
I made this recipe last year for my aunts birthday and everyone loved it. I am hoping to make it again this year but I need to do so in advance and wanted to make sure I can freeze the cake for a few days before assembling. Would that be possible? Thank you!
Amanda says
This was amazing! It was my first time baking from scratch gluten free and it was delicious!
Joansy says
This cake! It turned out beautifully, following the directions just as written. It is moist, with a crumb just like a regular cake. No need to announce it’s gluten free when serving it, because no one will be able to tell.
For the frosting, I used 8 oz. of cream cheese, and added 3 tablespoons of whipping cream, 1/2 teaspoon of maple extract, and 2 tablespoons of caramel ice cream topping. I also used an additional cup of powdered sugar, for a total of 3 cups. This makes a yummy kind of butterscotch flavored cream cheese icing. You can use the leftover icing as a filling for oatmeal cookie sandwiches, it’s delicious.
Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! It’s a keeper!
Heather Collins says
I made this cake for my mother’s birthday. I added half a cup of chopped walnuts and used store bought cream cheese icing. It was a hit! No one could even tell it was gluten free. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Beth Earle says
Ok, I have now made this cake about 8 times for my family and they can’t get enough of it. It only lasts about a day (and theres only 3 of us!), and as soon as it’s gone, they ask me to make another one! Thanks for this recipe!!
Gwen says
I haven’t had Spice Cake in over 12 years since being diagnosed with celiac disease, so I was looking for a recipe to make it and came accross yours, I didn’t have dark brown sugar so I used light brown sugar, I also added a little bit more vanilla, just because I love vanilla, I must say the cake was delicious and nice and moist, I will definitely make this again.
My Mom used to make spice cake when we were kids so this brough back good memories of eating spice cake with my Mom many years ago. Thank-you for sharing your recipe!!
Clyde S. Gorsuch says
My granddaughter has celiac disease so I’m always looking for gluten free recipes. I saw this one and decided to make it for a family gathering. As it baked my wife and I were almost overcome with the wonderful aromas filling the house. We forced ourselves to not sample it ahead of dinner. Everyone loved it and couldn’t believe it was gluten free. It is a keeper.