Easy Cream Cheese Spice Cake (with a cake mix)

Large slice of spice cake with glaze on a white plate with a fork.

Easy Cream Cheese Spice Cake (with a cake mix)

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy Cream Cheese Spice Cake

Difficulty Level: Beginner

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 5

Servings: slices

Calories: 323kcal

Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream

This moist cream cheese spice cake is a delicious bundt cake with a cream cheese glaze and is an easy fall dessert recipe made using a box cake mix.

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
1 8 (ounce package) cream cheese, room temperature (1 block)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (13.25 or 15.25) ounce box spice cake mix, dry – see notes
1 (3.4 ounce) box cheesecake pudding mix, dry (you could also use butterscotch or vanilla)
¼-1/2 cup all-purpose flour – see notes
¼ cup sugar
4 large eggs
⅓ cup milk
¼ cup water

For the glaze:

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (1 stick)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 tablespoons milk or cream (can use up to 4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-10 inch bundt pan very well.
Add the butter, cream cheese and extract to a medium sized bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed until completely smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix on medium to medium-high speed until well incorporated. The batter will be thick.
Add the batter to the prepared pan and smooth it evenly.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 50-55 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the cake will come out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it but no raw batter.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, then turn out of the pan onto the wire rack and cool completely before adding a glaze or powdered sugar.

For the glaze:

In a mixing bowl, mix the butter and cream cheese well with an electric mixer on medium to medium-high speed until smooth.
Add the confectioner's sugar, vanilla and three tablespoons of milk. Mix well.
If the glaze is too thick, add milk by the teaspoonful, mixing after each addition and checking the consistency. Add only a small amount at a time. If it's too thin, it will run off the cake and pool around the bottom.
Once the desired consistency is reached and the cake is cooled, spoon on the glaze, or use a piping bag or squeeze bottle to drizzle it onto the cake.

Notes

IMPORTANT: Some newer cake mixes are only 13.25 ounces, and some are still 15.25 ounces.
If your cake mix is 13.25 ounces, use ½ cup of all-purpose flour.
If your cake mix is 15.25 ounces, use ¼ cup all-purpose flour instead.

How to Store: This cake should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and can last up to 5 days.

How to serve: Most cakes are best served close to room temperature as the texture is softer. If the cake is cold, set it out to come closer to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before serving. You can also pop a slice in the microwave to warm up a bit.

For other questions: Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs section in this post, which should answer other questions you may have about ingredients, substitutions, other pan sizes, etc.

Nutritional values are an estimate.

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Nutrition