Spice Cakes That Every Southerner Should Master This Fall
There's nothing like a homemade spice cake to get in the fall and holiday spirit. Made with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, spice cake recipes have just the right amount of zing when paired with sweet ingredients. From the classics like pumpkin spice cakes and apple spice cakes to vintage creations like Japanese fruit cake and jam cakes, we have dozens of options to get you from fall to the new year. Whether you want to curl up with a cozy apple slice and a cup of coffee or you need to serve a stunning layer cake for an elegant dinner party, these recipes are just divine. From the start of fall to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, this round-up is festive, comforting, and oh-so-delicious. With timeless ideas like these, your family might have a new holiday tradition in store. These recipes will comfort you through the entire fall through winter season.
Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake
Recipe: Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake
Sheet cake recipes are the easiest way to feed dessert to a crowd, which makes this recipe perfect for the holidays.
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Eggnog Spice Cake with Bourbon Custard Filling and Eggnog Buttercream
Recipe: Eggnog Spice Cake with Bourbon Custard Filling and Eggnog Buttercream
This boozy, four-layer cake has dressy holiday dinner party written all over it.
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Spice Cake with Citrus Filling
Recipe: Spice Cake with Citrus Filling
We can't resist a white cake for Christmastime, and this dazzling recipe is filled with holiday flavor.
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Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans
Recipe: Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans
This Bundt cake is a total stunner for fall parties. Be sure the icing is still warm when you spoon it over the cake for the prettiest results.
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Classic: Gingerbread Cake with Buttermilk Frosting
Recipe: Gingerbread Cake with Buttermilk Frosting
Warm spices, creamy buttermilk frosting, and a spiced glazed pecan topping makes this cake the coziest ever.
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Mini Apple Cider Pound Cakes
Recipe: Mini Apple Cider Pound Cakes
Choose from a streusel topping or two glazes for these mini pound cakes that make perfect hostess gifts.
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Sugar-and-Spice Cake
Recipe: Sugar-and-Spice Cake
Guests will never know that this gorgeous cake started with a box of white cake mix.
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Marbled Pumpkin Praline Cake
Recipe: Marbled Pumpkin-Praline Cake
This layer cake has so many flavor dimensions that it's guaranteed to impress even the most skeptical guest.
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Spice Cake with Cranberry Filling
Recipe: Spice Cake with Cranberry Filling
Between the spice cake layers, cranberry filing, and apple cider frosting, we don't know what our favorite part of this recipe is, but we're lucky we don't have to choose just one.
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Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
Recipe: Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
There isn't a recipe that feels more fall than this beautiful Bundt.
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Chocolate-Gingerbread-Toffee Cake
Recipe: Chocolate-Gingerbread-Toffee Cake
Go all out on holiday cheer with this festive recipe that's a true show-stopper.
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Hummingbird Cake
Recipe: Hummingbird Cake
The Hummingbird Cake is our most popular recipe of all time, and you'll see why once you try a slice.
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Mexican Chocolate Pudding Cake
Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Pudding Cake
If you like your sweet with a dash of heat, this gooey pudding cake is the dessert for you.
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Pecan Spice Cake with Caramel-Rum Glaze
Recipe: Pecan Spice Cake with Caramel-Rum Glaze
This comfy cake has all the flavors you love for fall.
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Buttermilk-Glazed Mini Fig Cakes with Vanilla Hard Sauce
Recipe: Buttermilk-Glazed Mini Fig Cakes with Vanilla Hard Sauce
These mini fig cakes are ideal for easy serving and portioning.
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Tennessee Jam Bundt Cake
Recipe: Tennessee Jam Bundt
This classic Southern cake deserves a comeback. Tangy blackberry jam and rich caramel frosting pair perfectly with warm spices in the cake.
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Rum-Glazed Sweet Potato Cakes
Recipe: Rum-Glazed Sweet Potato Cakes
Mini cakes are easy to make and serve, which means no standing around to cut cake this Thanksgiving.
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The Ultimate Carrot Cake
Recipe: The Ultimate Carrot Cake
There's never a bad time for carrot cake—ever. If you're really into presentation, make our Candied Carrot Curls to top this all-time favorite cake.
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Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Cake
Recipe: Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Cake
Brown sugar, apples, and pecans cook down to create a decadent topping for this spice cake you can make in your skillet.
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Acadian Syrup Cake with Roasted Pears and Caramel Sauce
Recipe: Acadian Syrup Cake with Roasted Pears and Caramel Sauce
This Cajun staple is filled with warm spices that are sweetened up by classic cane syrup.
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Gingerbread Latte Cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting
Recipe: Gingerbread Latte Cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting
Spiced gingerbread cake layers are brushed with Espresso Simple Syrup for that coffee flavor you crave.
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Pumpkin Spice Battenberg
Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Battenberg
This checkerboard-patterned cake ups the ante on fall cake presentation.
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Blackberry Jam Cake
Recipe: Blackberry Jam Cake
Food Network star, chef, and cookbook author Damaris Phillips shared this timeless layer cake recipe, which was inspired by her Aunt Julie.
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Apple-Pecan Carrot Cake
Recipe: Apple-Pecan Carrot Cake
Everything you love about fresh apple cake and carrot cake in one dreamy recipe that's topped with fluffy Mascarpone Frosting.
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Holiday Spice Cake
Recipe: Holiday Spice Cake
This festive cake recipe looks beautiful in our Cherry Spice Cake Trifle (pictured), but you can enjoy it as a layer cake, too.
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Pumpkin Roll
Recipe: Pumpkin Roll
This festive fall dessert will make the most beautiful presentation. It's easy to make but needs time to chill before serving, so plan accordingly.
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Japanese Fruitcake with Lemon-Coconut Frosting
Recipe: Japanese Fruitcake with Lemon-Coconut Frosting Recipe
This traditional recipe has been a reader favorite for decades, and it's a holiday tradition worth starting.
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Cranberry-Apple-Pumpkin Bundt
Recipe: Cranberry-Apple Pumpkin Bundt
This Bundt cake recipe packs all of our favorite fall and holiday flavors into one.
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Salted Caramel Gingerbread Poke Cake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe: Salted Caramel Gingerbread Poke Cake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
Poke cakes are the secret to getting a cake recipe that will never dry out. This one was made for the holiday season.
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Apple Stack Cake
Recipe: Apple Stack Cake
Ronni Lundy's Apple Stack Cake is a labor of love that's so worth it.
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Praline-Pumpkin Torte
Recipe: Praline-Pumpkin Torte
Remember not to let the cake cool for too long in the pan so the praline portion doesn't stick.
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Shortcut Carrot Sheet Cake
Recipe: Shortcut Carrot Sheet Cake
When the holidays get busy, we'll take any shortcut we can get. This recipe is easy to assemble and perfect for serving a big group.
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Hummingbird Bundt Cake
Recipe: Hummingbird Bundt Cake
A less time-consuming version of our ever-popular Hummingbird Cake, this beautiful Bundt is drizzled with a cream cheese glaze.
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Vintage Fresh Apple Cake
Recipe: Fresh Apple Cake
This apple cake, filled with fresh Granny Smith apples and topped with a luscious Cream Cheese Frosting, was made to feed a crowd.
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Festive Pumpkin Cake
Recipe: Festive Pumpkin Cake
Talk about a presentation that will wow guests.
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Pumpkin Layer Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe: Pumpkin Layer Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting
New Orleans-based cookbook author and food blogger Joy Wilson shared this beautiful recipe with us, and the best part about it is the cake layers can be made up to three days before your event.
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Pumpkin Spice Cake
Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cake
This impressive dessert, inspired by a Mexican recipe called "impossible flan," will truly stand out among all other holiday desserts.
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Butterscotch-Spice Trifle
Recipe: Butterscotch-Spice Trifle
This gorgeous holiday trifle recipe is spicy and sweet (and so easy to put together). It can be made a day in advance to help you with last-minute prep.