Spice Snack Cake is the Ultimate Holiday Treat
Ready to fill your kitchen with the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg? Check out this simple Spice Snack Cake recipe that brings all the flavors you love in one easy-to-make cake. Perfect for sharing with friends or as a sweet afternoon pick me up.
I love cake. My absolute favorite is the Hershey’s chocolate cake with chocolate icing I used to make as a teen. Or, the carrot cake with apricot filling from Costco. And then there’s the red velvet cake we had for our wedding. I said I love cake, remember? I don’t think there’s a cake I’ve eaten and I haven’t enjoyed. There is no such memory. Ever.
Sadly, the hubs doesn’t enjoy cake as much as I do. The last cake I had was a banana cake from a restaurant. Oh yes. You can bet I’ll be trying to recreate that one. It was a bananas Foster cake with a rich icing. It’s the icing I struggle with. And that’s why I usually make snack cake. That and the simple fact that the hubs doesn’t enjoy cake. He has one piece and that’s it. So, I bake and take to work.
What is a Snack Cake?
A snack cake is a small, flavorful cake that is easy to make, share, and enjoy. Unlike traditional cakes, snack cakes are usually unfrosted or lightly glazed. This makes them perfect for casual get-togethers or festive brunches. Snack cakes are perfect for work parties. But, they are also especially delicious as a sweet ending to holiday meals.
Why Snack Cakes Are Perfect for Holiday Gatherings
The holidays are such a busy time! With all the office parties, school parties, neighborhood parties, family parties. Then there’s shopping and wrapping, planning dinner for you and your family.
With all that going on you want desserts that are delicious and easy to prepare. And you want a cake that doesn’t require all those layers and bowls of frosting or icing. You want a cake that is simple to serve. Snack cakes check all those boxes! They’re quick to bake, portion well for groups, and can be dressed up or down depending on your celebration. Plus, their comforting flavors pair beautifully with coffee, tea, or festive beverages.
Variety of Snack Cake Flavors
Snack cakes come in endless flavor combinations! I’ve made quite a few including 2 types of banana. One bakes in a Bundt cake pan and the other in a rectangular pan. Black forest is a chocolate cake topped with cherry pit topping and whipped cream. For the holidays, I made a cranberry snack cake, gingerbread snack cake, and a pumpkin snack cake. All are perfect for last-minute holiday parties.
For something lighter in flavor, my lemon snack cake is perfect. It has a nice sweet tart flavor. But I think my favorite, next to this spice snack cake, is the pineapple snack cake. The pineapple makes the cake super moist and has such a great, tropical flavor.
Choosing the Perfect Spice Blend
The secret to an irresistible spice snack cake is the right blend of spices. A classic mix includes cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. You can customize your cake by adding allspice, cardamom, or even a dash of black pepper for a subtle kick like I did with my gingerbread cupcakes. Taste as you go to achieve your ideal balance. You want your spice blend to be warm and fragrant. I scaled it back with this cake using mainly cinnamon and ginger. Actually, I grabbed my cinnasational spice blend from Selefina and added a little more ginger because I love ginger.
Unexpected Ingredients to Elevate Your Cake
Of course, if you’re an overachiever you can take your snack cake to the next level. Mix ins are a great way to elevate a simple snack cake. Some great creative additions to try are grated apple. Actually, most of the spice cake recipes I saw had applesauce in them. Not sure if it’s for flavor or to keep the cake super moist. You could also grate in some pears. They’re in season, super delicious, and go so well with the holiday spices.
You can add some crunch with chopped nuts like pecan, almond, walnut, or even macadamia nuts. There’s also fruit like coconut chips, raisins, dried cranberries, or apricots. Try swirling in some jam for a fruity surprise. Of course, there’s all the chips you want. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. Or there’s toffee bits, caramel bits, and butterscotch morsels to add more flavor to your cake. Finally, yogurt or sour cream brings extra tenderness, while a touch of maple syrup deepens the holiday flavor.
Ingredients to make this simple spice snack cake recipe
This cake is all on hand ingredients. Yes, we keep sour cream in the fridge. If you don’t have that you can substitute with yogurt. Don’t have that? Make some mock buttermilk with milk and vinegar.
Pantry ingredients – flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla
Refrigerator ingredients – butter, sour cream (or yogurt), milk, eggs
Simple Steps to Make this Snack Cake Recipe
Preheat your oven to 350 F so it’s ready when you are. Combine the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in the mixing bowl. Mix with a whisk to combine and aerate the ingredients. While sifting isn’t 100% necessary all the time, my flour does get clumpy with the humidity in this area. Is clumpy even a word?
Beat both the sugars with the melted and cooled butter. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat after you add each one. Stir in the milk and sour cream until blended. Finally, add the vanilla before stirring in the dry ingredients.
While this is a cake, I treat it like a quick bread when I stir the wet and dry ingredients together. I add the dry ingredients and fold the two together with a spatula until most of the flour is incorporated. Let the batter rest while you prepare the pan. Then stir the batter a couple of times and pour it into the pan. Bake at 350 F for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for Baking the Perfect Spice Snack Cake
Always use room temperature ingredients for even mixing. Cold eggs can cause the butter to seize and not combine with the remaining ingredients. Do not over mix the batter. Fold the dry into the wet ingredients to keep the cake tender.
I line my pans with parchment paper then spray it with cooking spray. The trick I love to use with parchment is to wet it a little so it’s more pliable. This allows you to get it into the nooks and crannies of your pan.
When you’re testing the cake with a toothpick, don’t take it out when it’s clean. There’s carryover cooking like you have with meats. If you pull it when the toothpick is clean, then when you cool the cake in the pan it will overcook. Finally, let your cake cool before slicing to lock in moisture.
This spice snack cake delivers a warm, comforting flavor profile that’s both fragrant and inviting. The blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices gives the cake a rich, aromatic complexity. Sour cream makes for a moist and tender crumb. Each bite is reminiscent of cozy winter days, making it perfect to pair with a cup of coffee or tea. Or serve at your family holiday dinners or gatherings.
Spice Snack Cake
If you have ever wondered how to bring a cozy twist to your dessert table, this Spice Snack Cake recipe might be what you are looking for.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F so it’s ready when you are. Combine the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in the mixing bowl. Mix with a whisk to combine and aerate the ingredients.
- Beat both the sugars with the melted and cooled butter. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat after you add each one. Stir in the milk and sour cream until blended. Finally, add the vanilla before stirring in the dry ingredients.
- While this is a cake, I treat it like a quick bread when I stir the wet and dry ingredients together. I add the dry ingredients and fold the two together with a spatula until most of the flour is incorporated. Let the batter rest while you prepare the pan. Then stir the batter a couple of times and pour it into the pan.
- Bake at 350 F for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 349Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 7gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 64mgSodium 364mgCarbohydrates 54gFiber 1gSugar 29gProtein 5g
More Christmas Sweets Recipes:
Christmas Sweets 2025 Friday
White Chocolate Martini
Finish off your Holiday Dinner with this festive and beautiful White Chocolate Martini.
Sourdough Chocolate Christmas Star Bread
If you want to wow your guests this holiday season, be sure and make this Sourdough Chocolate Christmas Star Bread.
Tom and Jerry Batter
There’s nothing quite like a hot toddy to warm you. Here is a recipe for Tom and Jerry Batter to make the classic alcoholic beverage.
Cranberry Orange Biscotti
Orange Cranberry Biscotti packs citrus flavor and a crisp bite. This easy recipe is ideal for cookie trays, gifting, or cozy treats.
Persimmon Cranberry Cookies
These persimmon cranberry cookies with warming spices are a delicious way to take advantage of persimmon season.
I love cake too, but icing not so much. That is why I love snack cakes…you can be sure I’ll be giving this one a try.
Same! I’m not a huge frosting person, either.