This Spice Cake is so delicious and moist, and unintentionally gluten-free, too! I don’t eat gluten-free regularly, but recently I’ve gotten into baking with oat flour. It’s so easy to make oat flour yourself! Just throw some oats into a blender or food processor and pulse until they become flour. The oat flour really makes baked goods so tender and easily subs for all-purpose flour in things like this. I’ve also started using it in my banana bread, too.
Spice Cake can have a variety of flavors going on, and this one has its own party going on. Ground cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and a touch of pumpkin pie spice come together to give this spice cake its base flavor. There’s a slight nutty flavor from the browned butter. Maple and vanilla extracts add a warming taste and combine with the spices to create a spice cake that’s quite cozy feeling.
I didn’t want a heavy frosting on top, since this cake is so tender. Instead, I created a thick glaze with a cream cheese / butter combo and powdered sugar. I borrowed from the maple flavor in the cake and brought that into the glaze with maple syrup. To round out the sweetness, I added a couple splashes of brewed coffee.
Spice Cake often has nuts in it, but instead, I scattered pecans on top of the glaze. Walnuts would be great on this, too. If you’re not a fan of nuts, just leave them off entirely. The flavor won’t be effected, but the pecans do bring a nice texture to the cake.
A few things to note:
- If you DO eat gluten-free, make sure to use Certified Gluten-Free oats to make the oat flour. (You probably already know this if you eat gluten-free, but if you don’t and you’re making it for someone else, you may not have known to check this.)
- Allow the cake to cool completely before pouring on the glaze. If the cake is too warm, the glaze will melt and become runny, spilling wildly off the cake. Dramatic, I know. Just be patient and give the cake time to cool.
- Speaking of the glaze, it should be thinner than frosting, but not thin enough to drink with a straw. If it gets too thin, just add a little powdered sugar to thicken it a bit.
Enjoy!

Spice Cake with Maple Glaze
Ingredients
Spice Cake
- ½ cup browned butter
- 1½ cup apple sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp maple extract
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups oat flour
Maple Glaze
- 3 tbsp butter softened
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp cream cheese
- 2 tbsp brewed coffee cooled
- 1½-2 cups powdered sugar
- chopped pecans optional
Instructions
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Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir and continue to heat until the butter turns golden brown.
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In a large bowl, combine cooled brown butter with apple sauce, vanilla & maple extracts, and eggs.
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Add the spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
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To make the oat flour, just blend oats until it is fine like flour.
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Add oat flour and brown sugar into the batter.
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Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
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Allow to cool before topping with maple glaze.
Maple Glaze
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With a mixer, combine the butter, maple syrup, cream cheese, and coffee.
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Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, working in ½ cup at a time, until the glaze is thick but still pourable. The consistency should be thinner than frosting, but not thin enough to run off the cake.
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Top the cake with the maple glaze. Scatter chopped pecans on top, if desired.