Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting

I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the #FallFlavors recipes. All opinions are mine alone. 

This Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting is perfectly spiced with all your favorite autumn flavors, and topped with a glorious caramel frosting. Add a little caramel drizzle and cinnamon pecans for a little something extra.

Today is my final post for the Flavors of Fall collarboration with some other amazing bloggers, and I had to end it with this Spice Cake. With caramel frosting. Because everything about this screams fall. All the spices in the cake are used all season long, in desserts, main dishes, even drinks! But I added a little extra spice with Door County Coffee‘s Autumn Spice coffee. Just a little bit, just to give it an extra layer of flavor.

Then I topped it with a creamy, caramel frosting, some caramel sauce, and Millican Pecan Company‘s Cinnamon Pecans. I mean, really…how much more autumn could this cake be?? And I made it a bundt cake because…well, I just love them! I love the way they look and I especially love the way the the topping fills the middle and is waiting there for you after you slice that first piece. Some people aren’t frosting people (these people are not my people), so they leave that extra frosting right there, and I am quick to scoop it right up!

The spice cake comes out moist and so full of autumn flavor. The cake itself is not overly sweet, so it pairs so nicely with the caramel frosting and cinnamon pecans. But, for those of you (not my people) who don’t care much for frosting, or even scrape it all off (whyyy???) the cake is still delicious all by itself. But it’s better with the frosting. I’m just sayin’.

And can I tell you a little secret? I’d never had spice cake before I made this one. Is that insane? Is that uncommon? I honestly wasn’t sure if I would like it. I mean, I knew I’d like the frosting, because caramel, but I didn’t know how I’d feel about the cake.

Well let me tell you how I felt about the cake. It was freaking amazing and delicious, and I can’t believe I’d never had it before. But rest assured, now that I know, I’ll definitely be having it again! And this year for Thanksgiving, I might be bypassing my traditional cookies, and making this instead! What say you, family?

Sponsored products used in this recipe:
Door County Coffee Autumn Spice Coffee
Millican Pecan Cinnamon Pecans

Make sure you check out the rest of today’s recipes below, and enter the giveaway for a chance to win one of two prize packages from our sponsors!

Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting

This Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting is perfectly spiced with all your favorite autumn flavors, and topped with a glorious caramel frosting. Add a little caramel drizzle and cinnamon pecans for a little something extra.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Bundt Cake, Caramel Frosting, Spice Cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 – 14 servings

Author: Jaida

Equipment

• Bundt Pan

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 3/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 4 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp strong brewed Autumn Spice Coffee (or 2 tsp vanilla if not using coffee)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped cinnamon pecans and reserved caramel sauce for topping (optional)

For the Caramel Frosting:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bundt pan well with non-stick spray – I like to use one with flour in it. If you don’t, then lightly dust with flour and shake out excess after spraying.
• In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves and set aside.
• Pour brown sugar into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Make sure there are no clumps in the sugar.
• Add applesauce and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
• Add eggs and coffee and mix until combined.
• Add in 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined, then blend in buttermilk, then add remaining 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix until well combined.
• Pour into the prepared bundt cake pan and cook for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs.
• Let cool in the bundt pan for 10 minutes and then invert the bundt pan onto a cooling rack or serving plate to let the cake cool completely before frosting.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting:

• Combine butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Bring the mixture to a boil and once boiling turn heat to low and let simmer for 3 minutes, without stirring. Remove from heat, pour into your mixing bowl (reserve a 1/4 cup or so if you want drizzle the cake with it after the frosting) and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.
• Add the vanilla and powdered sugar in with the caramel and mix on medium-low speed until combined. If it is too thick or crumbly, add more heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. I wanted my frosting thinner, so I added a few more tablespoons.
• Pour frosting over the cooled cake (or you can use a frosting bag to pipe it on, if you prefer). Top with reserved caramel sauce and cinnamon pecans, if desired.

Notes

Spice cake recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Tried this recipe?Mention @sweetbeginblog or tag #sweetbeginblog!

Welcome to Flavors of Fall where we celebrate all things associated with fall like squash, apples, pecans, sweaters, football; you get the idea!  Ellen from Family Around the Table and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures have gathered 24 bloggers who have over 100 recipes they’re sharing this week in celebration of cool weather and sweatshirts.  We hope you find many must make recipes so get your pinning, tweeting, and sharing fingers ready!

Here’s what we made for Friday:

Beverage
Cold Brew Pumpkin Spice Latte by Palatable Pastime
Pomegranate Ginger Whiskey Sour by The Redhead Baker
Slow Cooker Spiked Apple Cider by Cheese Curd In Paradise
Vanilla Caramel Apple Latte by Blogghetti

Breakfast
Pecan Cinnamon Rolls by Red Cottage Chronicles
Pumpkin Pie Pecan Butter by Daily Dish Recipes

Savory
Air Fryer Butternut Squash by Crumb Top Baking
Roasted Fall Veggies Tacos by Our Good Life

Dessert
Bourbon Pecan Pie Affogato by Books n’ Cooks
Caramel Apple Autumn Spice Parfait by The Freshman Cook
Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting by Sweet Beginnings

Make sure you like Fall Flavors on Facebook and follow the Fall Flavors on Pinterest, too!

Prize 1 – Door County Coffee and Tea Company

Founded in 1993 in Door County, WI, Door County Coffee and Tea Company is a small family owned business. Roasting a variety of flavors for 26 years, one winner will receive three full pot bags of all of their fall flavors. 21 bags in all! Their mission through the years has been to produce high quality, best-tasting coffee using only Specialty Class 1 Arabica coffee beans. Combine that with superior roasting technology and you get a wonderfully even and perfect roast every time and that means the perfect pot of coffee. A $40 value.  

Prize 2 – Millican Pecan Tower of Treats Gift Tins

Originally founded as the West Texas Pecan Nursery in the late 1800’s, Millican Pecan is now in 5th generation ownership. Located in San Saba, TX, the family continues the tradition of pecan farming while also branching the business into the online world. The family also enjoys educating people about pecans. One winner will receive The Tower of Treats Gift Tins. The tower includes 3 decorative gift tins stacked on top of each other. The bottom tin includes our 2 lb. Chocolate Pecan Sampler, the middle tin is our Flavored Pecan Sampler and the top tin is a 8 oz. tin of Milk Chocolate Caramillicans (similar to Turtles). An $80 value.

Two (2) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. Bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Winners have 24 hours to respond once notified by email, or they forfeit the prize and an alternate winner will be chosen. The #FallFlavors bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members living in the household cannot enter or win the giveaway. Entries will be verified. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Open to US Residents only. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter the giveaway. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #FallFlavors posts or entry. Thank you to our sponsors Millican Pecan and Door County Coffee and Tea for providing prizes.