In the mood for a cozy treat this fall? Time to make this dairy free spice cake! It’s filled with warm aromatic spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, and then topped off with a vanilla dairy-free cream cheese frosting.
After testing this recipe several times, I gave it to my (non-dairy-free) neighbors to try. They said it was one of their favorite dishes I’ve ever shared with them, so hopefully that says a lot!
Let’s get cooking!
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need for the cake itself:
And here’s what you’ll need for the frosting:
Here are some selected ingredient notes that may be helpful to read when preparing this recipe:
- Spices – You’ll use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in this recipe. However, this recipe is flexible. If you find that you don’t have one of the spices on hand, you can either skip it or double up on another spice. It can change the flavor slightly but will work for this recipe.
- Vegetable oil – This adds the necessary fat for the cake. You can swap it out with another neutral oil like avocado oil if you prefer.
- Dairy-free butter – I like using Country Crock plant butter for the frosting; it softens easily and tastes great. You can use another dairy-free butter if you prefer.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F, and lining two 9-inch cake rounds with parchment paper. Parchment paper will help the cake not to stick to the pan, and makes it easy to flip out onto the cooling rack. While you can grease the pan instead, I’ve found sometimes it can still stick that way, so I recommend using the parchment paper.
In a measuring cup, combine the almond milk and vinegar. Let that sit for a few minutes. This creates a faux buttermilk.
Add the brown sugar, vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla to a mixing bowl. Whisk that until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to another mixing bowl: the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Stir well.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and also pour in the almond milk/vinegar mixture. Stir everything until just combined. Don’t over stir the batter or it can result in a tougher cake.
Pour the batter into the two cake pans. You’ll bake ‘em for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick pulls clean from the center of the cake.
Once the cake is done, let it cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then flip it onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
When it’s cool, you can make the frosting. I say when it’s cool because if you make the frosting before it’s cool, you may be tempted to put the frosting on the cake while warm. Do not do this. Been there, done that, top cake slid right off the bottom cake because the frosting melted, haha. Wait for the cake to fully cool before frosting.
To make the frosting, you’ll whisk together the dairy-free cream cheese, dairy-free butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. I recommend using the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, but you can also use a hand mixer if that’s all you have on hand. Mix it until light and fluffy.
When the cake is cool, you can frost the first cake, then pop the second on top and frost the rest.
Now grab a slice and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may come up as you’re preparing this recipe:
Because the frosting contains dairy-free cream cheese, you should store any frosted cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. However, if you have not yet frosted the cake, you can store the cake itself in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a few days, and store the frosting separately in the fridge until ready to use. Storing the cake at room temperature will help prevent it from drying out in the fridge which can sometimes occur.
Yes! If you’d prefer a store-bought option, you’ll want to check ingredients, as some brands contain dairy and others do not. For example, at the time of publish, Duncan Hines cream cheese frosting and Pillsbury cream cheese frosting did not contain dairy ingredients. However, Betty Crocker cream cheese frosting does contain dairy. Always read labels, as manufacturer formulations can change at any time.
Sure, if you’d like to, you can add chopped walnuts or pecans, dried cranberries, or diced apples. Limit add-ins to 1 cup to ensure the cake cooks properly. Alternatively, you can add chopped nuts on top of the frosting.
Allergens in this Recipe
Disclaimer: Always double check ingredients and labels yourself prior to making a recipe. While I try to check all ingredients for allergens, there’s always the chance I may miss something, or manufacturer formulations can change.
As written, this recipe is dairy free.
This recipe does contain tree nuts (in the almond milk and cream cheese), eggs (in the eggs), wheat/gluten (in the all-purpose flour), and soy (in the dairy-free butter and vegetable oil).
I don’t recommend substituting the eggs in this recipe, as they are essential for the structure of the cake. However, if you need to substitute the other options, here are some suggestions:
- To make wheat/gluten free: You can use a 1-1 gluten-free all purpose substitute. King Arthur’s measure-for-measure flour is my typical go-to for making wheat/gluten-free recipes. However, please note I have not tested this particular recipe with gluten-free flour to confirm it definitely works. Also, double check other processed ingredient labels to confirm those products are also wheat/gluten-free.
- To make tree nut free: Swap the almond milk for oat milk. Instead of using Kite Hill cream cheese as pictured in this recipe, use a dairy-free cream cheese that’s free from nuts. If you can tolerate coconut oil, Violife should work.
- To make soy free: Use a soy-free dairy-free butter, like Earth Balance soy free sticks. Also, you can swap the vegetable oil for avocado oil (or another neutral oil). Note that soy oil isn’t actually required to be declared as an allergen, but I know most folks with soy allergies avoid it.
More Dairy Free Cake Recipes
If you’re looking for more delicious dairy free cakes, be sure to give one of these a try:
- Dairy free chocolate cake with chocolate frosting
- Dairy free coconut cake
- Lemon dairy free pound cake
- Dairy free yellow cake with chocolate frosting
I hope you enjoy this dairy free spice cake recipe. If you get a chance to try it, please feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Dairy Free Spice Cake
Ingredients
For the spice cake:
- ½ cup plain almond milk
- 1 tbsp distilled vinegar
- 1 ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp allspice
For the frosting:
- 1 container dairy-free cream cheese, softened (7-8 ounce container)
- ½ cup dairy-free butter, softened (1 stick)
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9-inch cake rounds with parchment paper.
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In a measuring cup, combine the almond milk and vinegar. Let sit for a few minutes.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
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In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Stir until well combined.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Pour in the almond milk and vinegar mixture. Stir until combined.
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Divide the batter evenly between the two 9-inch round pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick pulls out clean from the center.
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Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
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When the cake is cool, prepare the frosting: Combine the dairy-free cream cheese, dairy-free butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a mixing bowl with a hand mixer). Use the whisk attachment on the mixer to combine the ingredients, starting on slow speed until incorporated then mixing on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.
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Place one cake on a cake stand, and frost the top. Place the other cake on top and finish frosting the top of that cake, and sides if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Do not attempt to frost the cake before the cake is completely cooled. Warm cake will cause the frosting to melt.
- I like to bake these on the center rack and put a baking sheet on the rack below. This is helpful in case you accidentally put too much batter in one pan and it overflows.
- Store leftover frosted cake in the fridge due to the dairy-free cream cheese in the frosting. Unfrosted cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and frosting can be stored separately in the refrigerator.
Feel free to pin this post to save this recipe for later!
