Old-Fashioned Spice Cake with Praline Frosting

This vintage-style spice cake started as a recipe clipped from my aunt’s church cookbook years ago, but I wanted a special The praline frosting (which is way easier than it sounds) makes it taste like something from a bakery, but it’s really just a simple one-pan cake.

Every year when I spot that first display of decorative gourds at the grocery store, I know it’s time to make this spice cake. For the longest time, I avoided recipes with ‘praline’ anything because it sounded complicated. But this one isn’t! You just cook brown sugar with cream and butter, let it cool, then beat it with powdered sugar. That’s it. No candy thermometer, no soft-ball stage, no prayer circle needed. The finished frosting is a soft, delicious, and perfect buttercream.

What You’ll Need

You just need basic pantry ingredients, but do double-check that you have all the spices. They’re all important!

For the Spice Cake

Dry Ingredients:

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour (if you happen to have cake flour on hand, that works even better. I rarely do, so I typically use all-purpose)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:

• ¾ cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated (you’ll whip the whites separately for a lighter texture)
• 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

For the Praline Frosting

• ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (for the praline base)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup pecans, crushed (for topping, you can leave them out or use another nut if you’d like)

How to Make

Getting Set Up

Get your butter and eggs out about an hour before you start. Room temperature ingredients matter here, especially for the egg whites. Cold whites won’t whip properly, and cold butter won’t cream correctly. While everything’s coming to temperature, prep your 13×9 pan with butter and flour. You can add parchment if you want easier removal, but it’s not necessary.

Mixing the Dry Ingredients

Sift your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and all the spices together. If you have a sifter go ahead and use it, but if you don’t feel like it, a good whisking will do.

If you don’t have a sifter, a fine mesh strainer works. The spice measurements might seem conservative, but trust them. You want warmth, not a spice bomb.

Creaming Butter and Sugar

Beat your butter alone first until it’s fluffy, about a minute. Then gradually add the sugar in thirds and beat on high for a full 3 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture is pale and noticeably fluffy.

If it still looks dense and yellow, keep going. This step creates the structure for your entire cake.

Adding Egg Yolks

With your mixer on medium, add the egg yolks one at a time. Let each one fully incorporate before adding the next. You shouldn’t see any streaks of yellow. Mix in your vanilla.

Save those whites in a clean bowl. Even a tiny bit of yolk will prevent them from whipping properly later.

Combining Wet and Dry

Drop your mixer to low speed. Add your dry ingredients and milk in three alternating additions: dry, milk, dry, milk, dry. Mix just until you can’t see flour streaks anymore, then stop. Overmixing now means a tough cake later.

The batter will look thick and slightly lumpy, and that’s exactly right.

Folding in Egg Whites

Whip your egg whites until they’re stiff but still look glossy. If they start looking dry or grainy, you’ve gone too far.

Take about a third of the whites and stir them into your batter to lighten it up.

This sacrificial portion makes it easier to fold in the rest without deflating them. Then fold in the remaining whites with a spatula, using a gentle bottom-to-top motion.

You’ll still see some white streaks, and that’s fine.

Baking the Cake

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. Start checking at 25 minutes.

You want the center to spring back when you gently press it, and a toothpick should come out clean or with just a few crumbs. The edges will pull slightly away from the sides. Don’t overbake!

Making the Praline Base

While the cake cools completely (and it must be completely cool), make your praline base. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cream, and 2 tablespoons of butter.

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves completely. You shouldn’t feel any grittiness when you rub a drop between your fingers. Then let it cool for a full hour. Set a timer. Warm praline base will make your frosting separate.

Making the Frosting

Once your praline base is completely cool, beat it with the remaining cup of butter for about 3 minutes until it’s creamy and fully combined. Scrape the bowl frequently. Brown sugar likes to hide at the bottom.

Gradually add your powdered sugar. Start with the mixer on low to avoid a mess, then increase to medium-high once it’s incorporated. Beat for another 3 minutes after all the sugar is in. The frosting should be fluffy and spreadable. If it seems too thick, you can add a tablespoon of cream.

Assembly

Spread the frosting over your completely cooled cake. I dump it all in the center and work outward. Don’t overwork it once it’s on the cake.

Immediately sprinkle your crushed pecans over the top while the frosting is still soft. Press them down gently so they stick.

Storage Instructions

This cake is good immediately, but I actually like it better the next day. Cover it and let it sit overnight if you can.

Store it in the fridge if your kitchen runs warm, but let it come back to room temperature before serving. It keeps for up to 5 days refrigerated and covered.

More Fall Dessert Crowdpleasers

I love a good 9×13 cake for its portability and the fact that you’re baking and serving all in one. Here are more favorites:

• Classic pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting is one everyone loves
• If you have a sourdough starter, this sourdough apple cake is the one I like best.

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