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This Gluten-Free Spice Cake recipe is a delicious and aromatic bundt cake that is perfect for any occasion from simple tea times to celebrations. Rich with warm spices and drizzled with a simple cream cheese maple frosting. Made without xanthan gum and with a unique gluten-free flour blend this cake is easy to make and doesn’t rely on a specific brand of flour. A perfect dessert for the whole family.
Jump to:
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- What is Spice Cake?
- What spices are in spice cake?
- Spice cake ingredients
- How To Make Gluten-Free Spice Cake
- Expert tips
- Best icing for spice cake
- How to make the cream cheese icing
- FAQs
- Recipe variations
- More Gluten-Free Spiced Cakes you’ll love
- Gluten-Free Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Maple Frosting
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy recipe. This simple cake can be made in a couple of mixing bowls with a wooden spoon and a whisk.
- This is an old fashioned spice cake recipe so all the comforting flavours you know and love are there and boosted by our choices of gluten-free flours to add an even richer flavour profile.
- Beautifully moist. Using apple sauce, brown sugar, olive oil and protein rich whole milk ensures that perfect texture.
- Delicious gluten-free cake with no xanthan gum. READ MORE >>> Why I don’t use xanthan gum in my gluten-free baking.
- Bundt cakes can look more impressive than if you are just using your sheet pan and the best part is they are no more bother.
- Gloriously simple cream cheese frosting recipe with maple syrup – just 4 ingredients and made in 5 minutes.
- If you are used to the namaste gluten free spice cake mix or even Betty Crocker then this Homemade Spice Cake from scratch will be a true revelation of flavour and is nearly as easy to make.
What is Spice Cake?
Spice cake is a deliciously simple cake. It is known for being a moist cake as it often includes apple sauce and oil rather than butter which gives it a tendency to last longer than an average sponge cake. It’s known for its rich and complex flavour profile infused with a variety of warm spices, including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
It can be made in a variety of ways, either dressed up as a classic layer cake, made in a bundt pan, or even a true snacking cake. It’s often topped with cream cheese, maple frosting but actually the cake stands so well on its own that a simple dusting of icing sugar will also suffice.
What spices are in spice cake?
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
Spice variations
- I have also made this delicious spice cake with Homemade Mixed Spice. The only thing is that there is a slight variation in spices as it has a little bit of ground coriander but actually that gives it a lovely flavour. Swap all the spices in this recipe for 2 teaspoons of the spice mix if you want to try it.
- You can also make this cake as a Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cake just by replacing all the spices in this recipe for 2 teaspoons of this Homemade Pumpkin Spice Mix.
Spice cake ingredients
Light brown sugar. Gives lovely gentle molasses flavour and moisture
Olive oil. This is my preferred oil in cakes rather than vegetable oil or coconut oil. But to avoid a strong flavour use a flavourless mild and light olive oil.
Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell).
Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nilsen Massey.
Apple sauce. Use unsweetened apple sauce for this recipe. You can use store bought or homemade.
Milk. Use whole milk or a plant based milk if you are making dairy-free.
Apple cider vinegar. Reacts with the milk to give a lovely tanginess which adds complexity of flavour.
Buckwheat flour. Despite its name this flour has no wheat so is suitable for a gluten-free diet. It has a distinct nutty and earthy flavour with a slightly bitter undertone. Fine grain with slightly dense crumb. READ MORE >>> What is Buckwheat Flour? Substitution. You can swap the buckwheat flour for teff flour or brown rice flour but these subs make the cake a little more gummy.
Sorghum flour. A wholegrain flour with a mild, slightly sweet and nutty with a subtle earthy taste. It’s lovely in this flour mix as it gives gentle smooth crumb and balances out the buckwheat. READ MORE >>> What is Sorghum Flour? Substitution. You can swap the sorghum flour for oat flour which has a similar flavour profile.
Cassava flour. This is a starchy flour so has a sticky quality which acts as a binder in the cake so it doesn't crumble. Light in texture so evens out the denser buckwheat and sorghum. READ MORE >>> What is Cassava Flour? Substitution. You can swap the cassava flour for another starchy flour. Sweet rice flour (aka glutinous rice flour) is my recommendation.
Baking powder. A leaving agent which causes the cake to rise and become light and fluffy. Do check your baking powder is gluten-free before use.
Bicarbonate of soda. Also known as baking soda, this is a white crystalline powder that is commonly used as a leavening agent in baking.
Gluten free spices. Ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves are used to make this spice mix.
Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour.
How To Make Gluten-Free Spice Cake
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Mix the wet ingredients (brown sugar, olive oil, eggs, vanilla, apple sauce, milk, apple cider vinegar) together in a large bowl.
- In a separate large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (buckwheat flour, sorghum flour, cassava flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices, salt).
- Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Pour the spice cake batter into your greased bundt pan, smooth the surface with a rubber spatula and place in the oven. This cake bakes at for 40-45 minutes.
- Cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.
Expert tips
- Ensure all your ingredients are at room temperature before beginning (including the eggs).
- You can mix this cake by hand using a wooden spoon, but if you use an electric mixer or hand mixer then it gets the job done a little faster and ensures a lump free mixture. Or this cake can be made in a stand mixer and mixed at medium speed.
- The size of the bundt pan used in this recipe is 27 x 27 x 10 cm.
- The more intricate the design on your bundt pan then the more preparation your pan might need. For the photos here I used a simple pan which I just needed to grease a little but if there are more nooks and crannies in your pan then you will need to dust it with a fine coating of gluten-free flour after you have greased it to ensure it comes out of the pan easily once baked.
Best icing for spice cake
This cake is so deliciously moist and flavourful that you can serve it plain with a dusting of icing sugar, especially if you are baking it in an ultra lovely bundt tin.
However, to go that extra mile then this 5 minute Cream Cheese Maple Icing is such an easy frosting for spice cake.
You need just 4 ingredients:
- Cream cheese
- Maple syrup
- Whole milk (which makes it easier to drizzle over the cake)
- Ground cinnamon for dusting
How to make the cream cheese icing
It could not be more simple.
- Whisk the cream cheese, maple syrup and milk together by hand until it’s smooth and lump free.
- Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake and then finish with a dusting of cinnamon.
Expert tip: If you are finding the icing is a little too thick then add a little bit more milk until it reaches a thick dripping consistency.
FAQs
Yes but I don’t recommend more than 50% of almond flour in the flour blend otherwise the cake is too dense. You can either substitute half of the flour mix for almond flour, or use 50% almond flour and 50% or your favourite gluten-free flour blend (Bob’s Red Mill or Doves is fine).
The apple sauce in this recipe adds moisture and sweetness. It helps give a soft crumb to the cake and without it the cake would be quite dry.
No, although both cakes are often richly spiced and beautifully moist. However, Spice Cake does not include any carrots in the recipe.
I don’t recommend it for this original recipe. Shop bought gluten-free flours vary wildly in which flours are included in the blend. This recipe has a perfectly balanced mix of flours which give a texture that is light, fluffy and with a good structure that has no need for xanthan gum.
However, if you do find blending flours for individual recipes in your gluten-free baking a bit of a bother then try a batch of my Homemade All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend which is ideal for making cakes and doesn’t need any xanthan gum.
If unfrosted this cake keeps well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Once the cake is frosted then it needs to be stored in the fridge but as it will go dry quite quickly in the fridge I recommend eating with a couple of days.
You can freeze the cake as soon as it has cooled and prior to frosting. Double wrap in plastic wrap and aluminium foil to protect it well in the freezer.
Thaw at room temperature overnight before unwrapping. Allow to breathe for half an hour before frosting and serving.
Or you can freeze leftover slices in airtight containers with baking parchment between the layers.
Thaw individual slices at room temperature for about an hour.
You just need to make 2 substitutions to make this a dairy-free cake. Swap the whole milk in both the cake and the frosting for your favourite plant based alternative (I like almond milk or oat milk here). Then replace the cream cheese with your favourite vegan cream cheese for the frosting.
Recipe variations
You can include all sorts of ingredient additions to this cake. Why not try..
- Spice Cake with Raisins. Just add 200g raisins to the gluten-free flour mix.
- Spice Cake with Walnuts. Just add 125g chopped walnuts to the gluten-free flour mix.
More Gluten-Free Spiced Cakes you’ll love
- Gluten-Free Spiced Apple Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Traditional Carrot Cake
- Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream
- Sweet Potato Bundt Cake
- Green Tomato Cake
- Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Toasted Marshmallow
Have you tried this Gluten-Free Spice Cake? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your recipe turned out and your feedback also helps other readers.
Gluten-Free Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Maple Frosting
Equipment
- 27cm round x 10cm tall bundt tin
Ingredients
- 300 g light brown sugar
- 140 g olive oil
- 3 eggs - medium-sized – see notes
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 160 g unsweetened apple sauce
- 140 ml whole milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 140 g buckwheat flour
- 140 g sorghum flour
- 120 g cassava flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Cream Cheese Maple Frosting
- 150 g cream cheese
- 50 g maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Grease a 27cm (10 inch) bundt pan.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan, 350°F, gas mark 4.
- Mix the all the wet ingredients (brown sugar, olive oil, eggs, vanilla, apple sauce, milk, apple cider vinegar) together in a large bowl.
- In a separate large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (buckwheat flour, sorghum flour, cassava flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices, salt).
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well by hand or using an electric mixer until smooth.
- Pour the cake mixture into the bundt pan, smooth the surface with a rubber spatula and bake in the oven.
- for 40-45 until an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before inserting the cake out of the bundt pan.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Cream Cheese Maple Frosting
- Whisk together the cream cheese, maple syrup and whole milk in a medium sized bowl until thick, smooth but definitely pourable.
- Drizzle the frosting over the cooled cake. If the frosting isn’t pouring well then add a little more milk to loosen.
- Dust the finished cake with a little ground cinnamon.
Notes
Flour substitutions
- Do not substitute the flours suggested for a branded all-purpose gluten-free flour blend as the recipe won’t work.
- You can substitute the buckwheat flour for teff or brown rice flour (but the result will be a little gummier)
- You can sub the sorghum for oat flour.
- You can sub the cassava flour for sweet rice flour.Or you can use my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend in place of all the flours.
Eggs
The eggs used in this recipe are medium size, 60g with shell and 50g without shell. If you can't get hold of medium eggs I suggest you weigh the amount.Dairy-free version
Substitute the whole milk for a plant based alternative.Substitute the cream cheese for a vegan cream cheese.
Expert tips
All the ingredients should be at room temperature before beginning.Make sure to use the correct size bundt tin. The one recommended is 27 x 27 x 10 cm.
Store
If unfrosted this cake keeps well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Once the cake is frosted then it needs to be stored in the fridge but as it will go dry quite quickly in the fridge I recommend eating with a couple of days.Freeze
You can freeze the cake as soon as it has cooled and prior to frosting. Double wrap in plastic wrap and aluminium foil to protect it well in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature overnight before unwrapping. Allow to breathe for half an hour before frosting and serving.Ingredient measurements
Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.US customary measurements
These US measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cupsNutrition information
Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of cake, assuming the cake is cut into 16 servings.
Elle says
I owe you an apology for not believing this would turn out moist and baked through. Look at that beauty! I had a few tasty nibbles from the top as soon as it came out of the oven. I decreased the sugar amount out of habit and didn't make the frosting because I didn't have the ingredients. Also was out of vinegar but did have crème fraîche, which I substituted for some of the milk. This is a fantastic cake recipe - thank you!
Georgina Hartley says
You are welcome - I'm so happy you enjoyed the spice cake!
Kathy says
Good morning, what I can substitute for the buckwheat flour? I know it is gf but my body doesn't like it thank you your recipe sounds delicious Kathy
Kathy says
sorry just found my answer toward he end of your recipe thanks
Georgina Hartley says
That's great - let me know if you get a chance to make it!
KathrynB says
With my second attempt, I followed the recipe more closely (I used almond milk last time, and didn't make the icing). This is a GOOD tasting cake. Thank you for sharing it and showing how versatile different flours can be!!
Georgina Hartley says
I'm so happy you enjoyed this Spice Cake - thank you for leaving your feedback!
Claudia Otey says
I made the cake only since I’m only one eating gluten free (my husband will help sometimes) I baked cake in three loaves using my 7”x3” pans and one little 2 1/2 x5” pan. Adding the little extra would have been too much. Anyway they are wrapped for the freezer. The little one is going to my gluten free friend. Texture and taste great but plan on doing suggested alternatives with next baking.
Cupcakes with chocolate chips and hazel nuts. I’m sensitive to chocolate, so made with white vanilla chips and ground pecans as only nut (except me) in the house. My new favorite. Made several mini-cupcakes which are great for a small snack. Finished second batch last night. Freeze well.
Kathryn says
This cake has a such a great flavour. I made it with almond milk, left off the icing and everyone enjoyed it. It's pretty crumbly but the crumb structure is impressive for gluten free! I'll be making this again.
Georgina Hartley says
I'm so happy you enjoyed the Spice Cake - thank you for leaving your feedback!
Alene says
Is there anything I can substitute for the applesauce? I can't eat apples because of stomach issues. It's terrible because I love them. Could I switch with pumpkin? I really want to make this. I can eat everything else. Thank you.
Georgina Hartley says
I haven't tried pumpkin but it should work in terms of the texture. It won't be as sweet though. Let me know if you try it.