The Best Apple Butter Spice Cake Recipe (100% Moist)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8 out of 5 • (1,650 Ratings • 985 Reviews)

• Prep time: 20 mins
• Cook time: 40 mins
• Additional time (Cooling): 1 hr 30 mins
• Total time: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Servings: 15
• Yield: 1 (9×13-inch) baking pan
• Nutrition Info (per serving): 390 Calories | 115g serving size

Description

Deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, autumn is celebrated with an abundance of heavily spiced, deeply comforting baked goods. This Easy Appalachian Apple Butter Spice Cake is a loving tribute to that rustic, time-honored tradition. Unlike a standard apple cake that relies on chunks of fresh fruit, this recipe utilizes jars of concentrated, slow-cooked apple butter. This magical ingredient infuses every single crumb of the cake with an intense, roasted apple flavor and a dark, beautiful, mahogany color that regular applesauce simply cannot replicate.

This cake is famously dense, unapologetically rich, and astonishingly moist. The warmth of the cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, and allspice pairs perfectly with the dark brown sugar, creating a sensory experience that smells like a crisp October morning. To cut through the deep, complex sweetness of the cake, it is generously smothered in a thick, tangy, homemade vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. It is the perfect, low-effort dessert for a Thanksgiving table, a chilly weekend potluck, or a cozy evening by the fire. If you are photographing this beautiful dessert to feature on your site, using an 85mm lens with a shallow depth of field under soft, diffused studio lighting will perfectly capture the incredibly moist, dense crumb of the cake and the rich, swooping swirls of the glossy cream cheese frosting, making it utterly irresistible to your readers!

Why This Recipe Works

The secret to the phenomenal texture of this spice cake lies in its specific liquid components. Apple butter is essentially applesauce that has been cooked down slowly until the sugars caramelize and the water evaporates. Because it has less water content than regular applesauce, it provides massive flavor without making the batter overly wet or gummy. Furthermore, the high natural acidity in the apple butter reacts aggressively with the baking soda and the buttermilk in the batter. This chemical reaction creates tiny carbon dioxide bubbles that lift the dense batter, ensuring the cake remains fluffy and tender rather than heavy and brick-like. Baking it in a 9×13-inch pan provides plenty of surface area, allowing the cake to bake evenly without drying out the edges.

Ingredients

For the Apple Butter Spice Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (guarantees a moist crumb for days)
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar (do not use light brown)
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups high-quality, deeply spiced apple butter (store-bought or homemade)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Tangy Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 16 ounces (2 blocks) full-fat cream cheese, completely softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 cups powdered confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
• A tiny pinch of kosher salt to balance the sweetness

Directions

Step 1: Prep the Oven and Pan

Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease a 9×13-inch metal or glass baking pan with non-stick baking spray or softened butter. If you want to lift the cake out later for cleaner presentation, line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on the edges.

Step 2: Whisk the Dry Spices and Flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Whisk these dry ingredients together vigorously for about 45 seconds. This ensures the powerful spices and leavening agents are perfectly distributed throughout the flour, preventing any unevenly flavored bites in the finished cake.

Step 3: Cream the Fats and Sugars

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a large bowl and a hand mixer), combine the softened butter, vegetable oil, dark brown sugar, and white granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is very pale, light, and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Step 4: Incorporate the Wet Ingredients

Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Next, pour in the pure vanilla extract and the 1 1/2 cups of thick apple butter, mixing until the batter is a uniform, dark caramel color.

Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry

Turn the mixer down to its lowest speed. You will now alternate adding the dry flour mixture and the liquid buttermilk. Add one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk. Repeat, ending with the final third of the flour. Mix strictly until you no longer see streaks of dry flour. Do not overmix! The batter will be quite thick and smell incredibly fragrant.

Step 6: Bake the Cake

Pour the batter into your prepared 9×13-inch baking pan, using a spatula to spread it into an even layer all the way to the corners. Place the pan in the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. You will know it is done when the edges pull slightly away from the pan, the top springs back when lightly touched, and a toothpick inserted into the very center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely (about 1.5 to 2 hours). Do not frost a warm cake!

Step 7: Whip the Cream Cheese Frosting

While the cake cools, prepare the frosting. In a clean mixing bowl, beat the incredibly soft cream cheese and softened butter on medium-high speed for 3 minutes until completely smooth and free of any lumps. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Once the sugar is incorporated, add the vanilla extract and a tiny pinch of salt. Turn the speed back to medium-high and whip for 2 more minutes until the frosting is light, fluffy, and cloud-like.

Step 8: Frost and Serve

Once the cake is entirely cool to the touch, use a large offset spatula to swoop and swirl the thick cream cheese frosting generously over the top. Cut into 15 generous squares and serve!

Comprehensive Cook’s Notes & Variations

• Applesauce vs. Apple Butter: Do not substitute regular applesauce in this recipe! Applesauce contains way too much water and not enough concentrated sugar or spice. If you use applesauce, the cake will be soggy and lack that deep, rich molasses flavor. You can find jars of apple butter in the jam and jelly aisle of most supermarkets.
• The Room Temperature Rule: Just like with cheesecakes, the cream cheese and butter for the frosting must be completely softened to room temperature. If they are cold, your frosting will have highly unappetizing white lumps that no amount of beating can fix.
• Nutty Addition: If you love texture in your cakes, feel free to fold 1 cup of toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans directly into the cake batter right before pouring it into the pan. You can also sprinkle crushed nuts over the top of the frosting for a beautiful rustic garnish.
• Storage and Freezing: Because of the cream cheese frosting, this cake must be stored in the refrigerator. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and it will stay incredibly moist for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the unfrosted cake layer for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before frosting.

Top Reviews

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The best spice cake I have ever eaten!”

By AutumnBakingQueen on October 22, 2026

I have tried dozens of spice cake recipes over the years, and this one blows them all out of the water. Using apple butter instead of chopped apples makes the crumb so velvety and smooth. The combination of the oil and butter keeps it moist for days. The cream cheese frosting is the perfect tangy balance to the heavily spiced cake!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “So easy to make for a crowd”

By SouthernComfortCook on November 10, 2026

I made this for our church Thanksgiving dinner and came home with an empty pan. It is incredibly easy to put together since you don’t have to peel and chop any fresh apples. I sprinkled a little extra cinnamon and some chopped pecans on top of the frosting to make it look pretty. The flavor is out of this world!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Delicious, smells like fall”

By HealthyishEats on September 30, 2026

My entire house smelled amazing while this was baking! The cake itself is a 10/10. I ended up cutting the powdered sugar in the frosting down to just 2 cups because my family doesn’t like super sweet frostings, and the tanginess of the cream cheese really shined through. Will definitely make this again next year!

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