Spice Cake recipe?

[HappyTexan44]

 

We were on Voyager in February.  I JUST now learned that DD loved the Spice Cake on Royal.  As in, it is in her top two favorite cakes.  I looked on the internet, and I couldn't find the recipe online.  Normally if I've eaten something I can find a close recipe, but I never had the spice cake.   Can anyone help me out?   Maybe you know of a recipe that might be close?  

BTW, teenagers!    Her best friend recently made her a cake for her birthday as a surpise and she'd asked me ahead what type of cake DD liked.   While they were eating it DD told her best friend that "Strawberry was her third favorite type of cake."    She knew immediately how bone-headed that was. 
 
 

 

 

 

[lovelife]

I don't recall spice cake on any of my sailings. Maybe I overlooked it?

[rjrpar]

Most desserts on Royal are not good but I don’t remember their spice cake

[F27TW]

 

 

Edited August 16 by F27TW

[mets07]

I always asked my mom for spice cake for my birthday. I think I was rather unique in that regard. 

😉

 

We made it from a cake mix, similar to picture above. Betty Crocker has one too. 

 

Not sure if I ever had it on a cruise ship. 

[FionaMG]

It's not Royal's recipe but if you want to try making one from scratch I have done this one in the past and it was really good:

 

https://www.cookingclassy.com/autumn-spice-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/

[EmmasNana]

I don't recall a spice cake on royal or would have tried it.

 

These are cupcakes but could be made into a cake. I host a siblings and spouses birthdays and made these the last time. They were a huge hit. Everyone wanted the recipe and also took extras home with them.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/hummingbird-cupcakes-recipe-2103792

 

I used crushed pineapple and did not put banana on top.

Edited August 16 by EmmasNana

[HappyTexan44]

Could it have been a carrot cake?   She had said that it was a spice cake with aspects of carrot cake.   I don't really like either so I don't order either and I don't know how close they are.  Since it was about 6 months ago maybe she'd gotten that wrong.  

She is this weird child that doesn't like frosting.  So, she likes cakes that don't really need frosting.  I suspect that it is really that she doesn't like shortening frosting and that was what you almost always get unless it is homemade or expensive bakery cakes.  
 

 

[ScubaCat3]

There is a dessert I have enjoyed in the Coastal Kitchen that may be served elsewhere on the ship called a spiced rum cake. 
 

SPICED RUM CAKE

Rum-soaked pound cake topped with whipped cream and strawberries  

 

[BND]

No spice cake I've ever seen onboard.

[BND]

On 8/14/2024 at 12:08 PM, HappyTexan44 said:

 

We were on Voyager in February.  I JUST now learned that DD loved the Spice Cake on Royal.  As in, it is in her top two favorite cakes.  I looked on the internet, and I couldn't find the recipe online.  Normally if I've eaten something I can find a close recipe, but I never had the spice cake.   Can anyone help me out?   Maybe you know of a recipe that might be close?  

BTW, teenagers!    Her best friend recently made her a cake for her birthday as a surpise and she'd asked me ahead what type of cake DD liked.   While they were eating it DD told her best friend that "Strawberry was her third favorite type of cake."    She knew immediately how bone-headed that was. 
 
 

 

 

 

Where did she think she had it?

[HappyTexan44]

You guys are just so darn helpful!    

I texted the photo of the Spiced Rum Cake to her to see if that looks like it.   I just had a feeling it wasn't a basic spice cake.  

 

I don't think it was in the main dining room.   On the second evening her meal was desserts.   I think she'd tried every dessert on the MDR menu.  She didn't eat all of every dessert, but none went to waste.   For example there was one that none of us had had before so we passed it around the table having a taste (and none of us really liked it).  Our group was four adults and two teenagers.  She'd said she'd had it the evening before our last full day.   She'd looked forward to having it again, but on the last day she was sick.  

 

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

16 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

Could it have been a carrot cake?   She had said that it was a spice cake with aspects of carrot cake.   I don't really like either so I don't order either and I don't know how close they are. 

 

This would be my guess. There's a carrot cake available in several different venues, and although carrot cake is usually a lot moister than a standard spice cake, the ones I've had really weren't.

[HappyTexan44]

Teenagers!   OK, she confirmed it was the carrot cake.   Can anyone tell me about the carrot cake?   Is it a generic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting?   Any idea why she thought it was spice cake?   I don't dislike carrot or spice cake, but I'm not a huge fan.   If there is a choice I'll get something else, or skip it unless I'm hungry or that would be rude.   

I googled for the carrot cake and all i really saw was someone else asking on the RC Blog and bnot getting an answer.  
 

[smokeybandit]

Carrot cake is basically just spice cake with carrots.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Was it chinese spice cake?. We had it on p&o a numbers of times not sure if royal do the same kinda cake. 

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

2 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

OK, she confirmed it was the carrot cake.   Can anyone tell me about the carrot cake?   Is it a generic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting?   Any idea why she thought it was spice cake?  
 

 

Fairly generic, yes, except that as I mentioned, Royal's version tends to be not as moist (at least the ones I tried). That would probably explain why she thought it was spice cake, which as a rule has a slightly drier consistency.  Sometimes it's served sliced, sometimes as a parfait of sorts with layers of the cake and a "cream cheese adjacent" frosting. 😉 I can't put my finger on exactly what is different about their version of the frosting, but it's almost like a cross between genuine cream cheese frosting and a cheap bakery buttercream. 

 

I quite enjoy a good carrot cake, so I sometimes get Royal's version even though I consider it just okay. To be honest, the version your daughter liked could probably be achieved by a grocery store cake mix and premade Duncan Hines cream cheese frosting. 🙂 

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

Teenagers!   OK, generic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting?   Any idea why she thought it was spice cake?   I don't dislike carrot or spice cake, but I'm not a huge fan.   If there is a choice I'll get something else, or skip it unless I'm hungry or that would be rude.   

I googled for the carrot cake and all i really saw was someone else asking on the RC Blog and bnot getting an answer.  
 

Spice cake is very similar to carrott cake.    

Spice cake typically includes cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.   My Mom used to make with Applesauce as well as various spices shown above.    Makes for a nice moist cake.   

[HappyTexan44]

20 hours ago, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

"cream cheese adjacent" frosting.

 

I am totally stealing this.   I am quite proud of my homemade frostings and what most places serve is ... merely adjacent to real frosting.  From what I read pre-cruise about Royal's desserts that is what I'd expect and why I never ordered a dessert except for ice cream.  

 

I am away from home with my aunt who is 4 months into her 2-3 months-to-live hospice.   So I don't have access to my cookbooks.   I've become a fangirl lately of the Cake Bible lady.   I looked online and I don't see it in her list of recipes.  So, I'll keep looking.  But, now I know a generic good recipe will work.   As a Texan, cream cheese frosting was the first frosting I mastered.  I'm known for my Brown Velvet Cake, which is a good Red Velvet cake recipe without the red food coloring.  

Thank you everyone, you've been very helpful!  
 

[HappyTexan44]

Thinking about this, DH might be a fan too.  When we were dating he made me a bargain that he'd mow my lawn if I'd keep his favorite sugar cookies in the freezer.  As time went on I tweaked the recipe to his taste and eventually settled on 10X the original amount of nutmeg (14X was too much).    So, he'd probably like a spice cake I made.  

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

10 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

 

I am totally stealing this.   I am quite proud of my homemade frostings and what most places serve is ... merely adjacent to real frosting.  From what I read pre-cruise about Royal's desserts that is what I'd expect and why I never ordered a dessert except for ice cream.  

 

I am away from home with my aunt who is 4 months into her 2-3 months-to-live hospice.   So I don't have access to my cookbooks.   I've become a fangirl lately of the Cake Bible lady.   I looked online and I don't see it in her list of recipes.  So, I'll keep looking.  But, now I know a generic good recipe will work.   As a Texan, cream cheese frosting was the first frosting I mastered.  I'm known for my Brown Velvet Cake, which is a good Red Velvet cake recipe without the red food coloring.  

 

 

LOL! Full permission to use that phrase whenever you want. 😉I agree, a good frosting can make or break a dessert. Your Brown Velvet sounds delish!

 

I'm sorry to hear about your aunt, but yeah, you really don't need a special recipe in order to replicate (or improve) what RC serves. And if I'm wrong and your daughter is disappointed, feel free to blame it on the random lady from Cruise Critic! 😆

[HappyTexan44]

I kept searching and in another of Rose's cake books, Heavenly cakes, she has a carrot cake.  If DD doesn't like that, the problem will be with DD 🙂   .

Unfortunately, DD seems to find her favorite foods while we are on vacation.   Fav. mac and cheese was in Hollywood, FL.   In CA, she fell in love with a Fig and Brie grilled cheese.   That was at least easy to replicate.  

 

[CntPAcruiser]

On 8/18/2024 at 9:10 AM, HappyTexan44 said:

Teenagers!   OK, she confirmed it was the carrot cake.   Can anyone tell me about the carrot cake?   Is it a generic carrot cake with cream cheese frosting?   Any idea why she thought it was spice cake?   I don't dislike carrot or spice cake, but I'm not a huge fan.   If there is a choice I'll get something else, or skip it unless I'm hungry or that would be rude.   

I googled for the carrot cake and all i really saw was someone else asking on the RC Blog and bnot getting an answer.  
 

 

Royal's carrot cake tends to be very spice heavy, specifically nutmeg, in my opinion. Nothing really wrong with that, but that's probably why it read more as spice cake than carrot cake. In my opinion, the best carrot cake recipe is from King Arthur Flour, on their website, but increase the amount of spice and you'll get something closer to the version on Royal.

[shandryl]

On 8/16/2024 at 8:44 AM, F27TW said:

 

 

If you add extra" quality ingredients, it will taste home-made. 😄