Spice Cake with Yellow Cake Mix

A slice of light brown spice cake sits on a plate, its frosting gleaming, with a blurred background featuring a red towel and kitchen items—a tempting result of a simple spice cake recipe using yellow cake mix.

Learn how to make the perfect spice cake with yellow cake mix! It's so easy and comes in handy when all you have is a yellow cake mix!

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Cool Time30

Total Time1 5

Servings: slices

Author: Miranda Couse

Ingredients

Cake

15.25 ounce yellow cake mix
3 large eggs
1 cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom optional
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Brown Sugar Frosting

½ cup salted butter room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar packed
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the 15.25 ounce yellow cake mix, 3 large eggs, 1 cup water, and ½ cup vegetable oil. Mix using a hand mixer on medium speed until combined.
Add in the 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. Mix so the spices are evenly distributed in the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread out evenly.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
Allow the cake to cool off completely before frosting.

Frosting

In a large bowl, add the ½ cup salted butter and 1 cup light brown sugar. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until creamed, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add 1 ½ cups powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments and mix on low until all of the powdered sugar is worked into the frosting.
Add the 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until combined. If your frosting is too thick, add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of milk at a time and mix in until the desired consistency is reached.
Once the cake is completely cooled, spread the frosting evenly on top using an offset spatula.

Topping

In a small bowl, add the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Stir until combined. Set aside.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top.

Notes

Serve the cake with or without frosting. Add some ice cream, fresh whipped cream, or some fresh strawberries

Storage: Store the spice cake covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Freezing: To freeze the cake, place it in a freezer-safe container or wrapped tightly in 2 layers of plastic wrap and a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil for up to 3 months. Thaw it on the counter for about 2 hours or refrigerate it overnight.

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