This old-fashioned spice cake swaps all the sugar for Jaca allulose, so you get a moist, warmly spiced layer cake crowned with tangy cream cheese frosting and zero added sugar. It has that nostalgic cinnamon-nutmeg-clove flavor of a classic fall bake, with a caramel-tender crumb from applesauce and oil — no one will guess it is sugar-free.
This is a Jaca-adjusted, healthier version of the classic. Every bit of sugar is replaced with Jaca 100% pure allulose at double the amount, so the cake and frosting behave like the original while keeping added sugar off the plate.
Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Total time: 2 hours 50 minutes (with cooling) | Servings: 14
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 3 ½ cups Jaca allulose (replaces 1 ¾ cups brown sugar — doubled)
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
For the Jaca cream cheese frosting:
- 12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 7 cups powdered Jaca allulose (replaces 3 ½ cups powdered sugar — doubled)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans, shaking out the excess.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, combine the Jaca allulose, vegetable oil, and applesauce. Beat until well blended, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Blend in the buttermilk, then add the remaining flour mixture and mix until well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake 28–32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pans 5–10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Level the tops if needed.
- Make the frosting: beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the powdered Jaca allulose and vanilla, then beat until well blended and fluffy. If you want a stiffer frosting, chill it in 5-minute increments, re-whipping between chills.
- Frost the cooled cake and press the chopped pecans around the edges if using. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container and let it come to room temperature before serving.
Why Jaca? Jaca is 100% pure allulose — a rare sugar that tastes and bakes like the sugar we grew up with but is largely not metabolized by the body, so this cake carries essentially zero added sugar. Sweet, spiced, and guilt-free.
