Easy Spice Cake Recipe

This easy Spice Cake comes from my grandma and is my most treasured recipe. Start with a mixture of boiled spices and raisins – the smell is heavenly!

This Spice Cake recipe comes straight out of my childhood and family trips each summer up north. I was back at the old log cabin in June, so I thought I’d recreate this recipe for you as summer winds down.

When Grandma made her Spice Cake, it was always moist, delicious, and gone within the first two days. You might find the same thing happens to you, if you make it.

To make a Spice Cake from scratch, start with a boiled mixture of spices, raisins, butter, sugar, and water. The smell of that alone will make you swoon, but persevere!

Transform the cooled spice mixture into a proper batter with eggs, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. You’ll want to mix the eggs into the spice mixture and add the dry ingredients in batches, mixing well after each addition.

If you don’t whisk the dry ingredients thoroughly enough, the cake will be dotted with (what I charmingly refer to as) flour bombs: White splotches of unmixed dry ingredients. So, take your time and mix well! I used my standing mixer with the whisk attachment.

I love the way this cake looks when made with a bundt pan, but you can also bake it in a 9-inch x 13-inch pan. That’s what my grandma always did because it travels up north easily that way. The baking time should be about the same.

The glaze is optional, too. You truly don’t need it; the cake is delicious without. Grandma never glazed her Spice Cake.

But in my house, everything is better with a glaze.

Save this Easy Spice Cake to your
“Desserts” Pinterest board!

And let’s be friends on Pinterest! I’m always pinning tasty recipes!

5 from 1 vote

Print

Boiled Spice Cake Recipe

This easy Spice Cake comes from my grandma and is my most treasured recipe. Start with a mixture of boiled spices and raisins - the smell is heavenly!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings 16 servings

Calories 323 kcal

Ingredients

For the Spice Cake:

• 2 cups raisins
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• ¾ cup butter
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 eggs beaten

For the Glaze:

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. 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.
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Generously grease 12-inch bundt pan (or 9x13 cake pan). In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. Whisk eggs into cooled spice mixture until uniformly combined. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, whisking well after each addition.
4. Pour batter in to prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.
5. To make the glaze, in a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled cake.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information on my Affiliate and Advertising Policy, please click here.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information on my Affiliate and Advertising Policy, please click here.