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A true snacking cake, this simple, one-bowl gluten free spice cake is a soft, fragrant, and simple cake that's made in one bowl and packed with warm and cozy spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
Why you'll love this recipe
This spice cake has a dense, but incredibly moist, crumb that's rich with brown sugar and warm spices. It's made with a combination of melted butter for flavor and and a touch of oil for moist mouthfeel.
It's the type of cake where the crumbs are always in clumps, never alone, and stick to the tines of the fork. And it stays fresh for days at room temperature.
The crumb of this cake is tighter than gluten free vanilla cake. The texture is similar to gluten free carrot cake, but without carrots, of course, and with the flavors of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, in addition to cinnamon.
Expert tips
Selecting spices
This cake calls for a fragrant combination of warm ground spices: ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, ground cloves, and a touch of ground ginger. It's similar to the pumpkin pie spice we use in gluten free pumpkin pie, but without allspice.
You can use pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or even just ground cinnamon in this recipe. Just be sure to use the full amount of spices called for (nearly 3 teaspoons), since this is a spice cake, after all! You want the rich flavors of the spices to shine through.
Checking for doneness
You can test doneness by inserting a toothpick or other cake tester into the center to ensure that it comes out clean, or press the cake gently in the center. If it springs back, it's done. Because of the different types of sugar, it can begin to burn relatively easily so be careful not to overbake it.
Choosing the proper pan
This is a really forgiving recipe and can be baked in a variety of cake pan sizes. I like baking it in a 9-inch x 13-inch cake pan, since it bakes so quickly and makes generous but not oversized slices.
You can also bake this cake in 2 8-inch round cake pans, if you prefer. Just divide the batter evenly between greased pans, spread into an even layer, and bake until set in the center (it will take about 30 minutes, but may take a bit longer).
Cool completely before dusting or frosting
Never dust a warm cake with confectioners' sugar! If the cake has any warmth at all, the sugar will melt right into the cake. You'll still taste it, but you won't see it.
The same goes for frosting, if you wanted to make this cake with a cream cheese frosting. Try the frosting recipe from our gluten free zucchini cake for a soft, tangy, and decadent gf spice cake experience, but double it for this larger-size cake.
Ingredient substitutions
Dairy free
To make this cake dairy free, you'll only need to replace the butter with a nondairy alternative. I recommend vegan butter; my favorite brands are Melt and Miyoko's Kitchen.
This is such a forgiving recipe, though, that you may be able to use Earth Balance buttery sticks here. They have too much moisture, though, so you might want to reduce the water by 1 to 2 teaspoons. And reduce the salt by half, since they're very salty.
Egg free
There are only 2 eggs in this recipe. You should be able to replace each of them with a “chia egg.”
To make one chia egg, combine 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds and 1 tablespoon lukewarm water in a small bowl. Mix, and allow the mixture to sit until it begins to gel.
Sugars
This cake has two granulated sugars: white, and light brown. I haven't tried replacing either of them with liquid sugars, but it might work. If you'd like to try replacing the granulated sugars with liquid sugar, you'll have to rebalance the recipe, since liquid sugars are sweeter, and have more moisture.
Try replacing the 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar with 75 grams corn syrup (for its neutral flavor), and the 1 cup (218 g) light brown sugar with a total of 165 grams liquid sugars (I'd try 125 grams honey and 40 grams unsulphured molasses). I don't recommend trying to replace the sugars with something like applesauce. That isn't nearly sweet enough to replace sugar, and your cake will be dense and not at all tender.
Additions and variations
Try mixing some of your favorite flavors into this simple cake. Here are some ideas (go easy, though, so you don't alter the cake's chemistry too much):
- 3 ounces chopped soft nuts, like walnuts or pecans
- 3 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- 3 ounces Thompson raisins or dried sweetened cranberries
Storage instructions
This cake in stays moist and tender wrapped tightly for at least 2 days at room temperature. For longer storage, slice the cake into squares, wrap each tightly in freezer-safe wrap, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave, briefly.
Gluten Free Spice Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (315 g) all purpose gluten-free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground nutmeg is best
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (218 g) packed light brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) neutral oil, (vegetable, canola, grapeseed, etc.)
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) warm water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease or line a 9×13-inch baking pan and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, and granulated sugar and whisk to combine well.
- Add the brown sugar and mix to combine, breaking up any lumps.
- Add the melted butter, oil, beaten eggs, water, and vanilla, and mix to combine. The batter will be relatively thick, but soft.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer with a moistened spatula. Shake the pan back and forth a bit to ensure even distribution of the batter.
- Place the cake in the center of the preheated oven and bake until set in the center, about 25 minutes. A toothpick should come out mostly clean (never wet; may have a few moist crumbs attached).
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cake to cool completely in the pan completely. It will take about 45 minutes at room temperature until completely cool.
- Once the cake is cool, dust the top of the cake with a thin layer of (the optional) confectioners’ sugar. Slice into squares and serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQs
Most pure, single-ingredient spices are free of gluten ingredients, but they may not always be safely gluten free. If you're especially sensitive and are concerned about cross-contamination with gluten-containing ingredients, stick to Badia brand spices, which prominently claim gluten free status.
McCormick brand spices are also gluten free as long as they contain all safe ingredients, which will be prominently displayed on the label, so check your labels!
I haven't tried that, but I think it should work. They'll bake faster than cake, though, so start checking for doneness at about 18 minutes.
I don't know if this recipe would make a proper gluten free spice bundt cake, since it's very, very moist all the way through, and the best gluten free bundt cake has a crispier, buttery edge. Just multiply all the ingredients by 1.5 to make enough batter.
Hi Nicole. Since I’m sensitive to most spices, can I use 2 3/4 tsp ginger? I’m dairy free, egg free, and gluten free so I’m always interested in your recipes. Thank you for the hard work you do for all of helping us be better bakers. Blessings…
Hi, Mary, I’m afraid that’s really just too much ground ginger to use in this cake. It would be really overwhelming, but still kind of flat-tasting. If you are sensitive to most spices, this spice cake is probably not the best choice for a cake. So sorry!
Where is the nutritional info ?
I’ve just added approximate nutritional information, Mary, but it’s just a courtesy and I really don’t recommend relying on it.
I just made this for the first time and it was wonderful! My only question is how many raisins can I add? As usual, your recipe is fabulous! Thank you for being here for us. We truly appreciate your help.
Hi, J, so glad you enjoyed the spice cake! For information about additions like raisins, please see the text of the post under the heading “Gluten free spice cake additions and variations”
I tried several before. This is the BEST!
This hit the spot! Definitely a 10 out of 10 for texture and flavor. Baked it in a bundt pan for 40 minutes. Also made cream cheese frosting and used very sparingly on it. The tang of it went very well with the spice. I’m going to make cupcakes next time. Definitely a keeper recipe.
I am going to make this today and I’m already confident it will be delicious because all of your GF recipes that I’ve tried have been greatly satisfying. I’m just wondering if carrot or apple could be added to this recipe or would that make it too dense and chewy? Hopefully I get response before I start this recipe this afternoon, but if not I will not be adding them because I don’t want to waste my precious GF flour, haha. Thank you!
Hi, Brijitte, no, you can’t add carrot or apple to this cake and have it turn out as expected. Those would each add a tremendous amount of moisture, and this cake isn’t balanced to offset that. It will only work when made as written.
10/10!! I don’t much care for sweets, but I love to bake, and this recipe was easy to follow through and through. My sister is celiac and has been craving a spice cake, and this was perfect for her! I turned it into cupcakes and I barely had them out of the oven for 5 minutes before being told I’d need to make another batch soon! Even my aunt and grammy, who are usually not a fan of gluten free baked goods, loved this cake. Great recipe.
So glad this recipe worked out so well for you, Kayden. Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
If I prefer not to use canola or the other oils, can I substitute olive oil or butter? Thanks.
Hi, Jeanne, olive oil has too pronounced a flavor for this recipe, and butter has too much moisture. You do need an oil that’s liquid at room temperature, I’m afraid, to make this cake without making other modifications that would require more recipe testing.
3rd gluten-free spice cake recipe I’ve tried. The others were TERRIBLE.
Hahahaha, Nan, so glad this one passed the test! I hear you, though. I look at a lot of the recipes online and wonder who is ever having success with them, to be honest!
Loved it, even the pickiest of eater on our home ate it over the King Aurther confetti GF box mix. This will be our new family birthday cupcake recipe!
Thanks for the ingredients in grams, it helps make measurements much quicker.
Cupcakes: using the convection bake setting at the recipe temperature. We cooked them until they stopped talking, which was longer than recipe listed time. Vanilla is an allergy in our house, 1/2 tsp rum extract was substituted .