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Spiced Toffee Sheet Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

11/10/2025 | Bonia Bakery |

This Spiced Toffee Sheet Cake with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting feels like the essence of autumn in cake form — cozy, sweet, and just the right amount of nostalgic. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving dessert tables, Friendsgiving get-togethers, or any chilly fall day when you want your kitchen to smell like pure cinnamon-caramel heaven.

There’s just something about fall that makes me want to bake a cozy cake every single week — the kind that fills your kitchen with cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter while it bakes. This recipe is exactly that kind of cake. It’s soft, flavorful, and layered with warm autumn spices, then topped with the dreamiest caramel cinnamon cream cheese frosting and a generous handful of chopped Heath bars. It’s the definition of comfort dessert.

This cake is my ideal November bake. It’s got that deep, warming spice that instantly feels nostalgic — like wrapping up in your favorite sweater while something sweet bakes away in the oven. The base is rich and tender, thanks to the perfect mix of butter and oil (I use avocado oil). Brown sugar adds a hint of caramelized sweetness that pairs beautifully with all the spices — cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Add in buttermilk and applesauce, and you’ve got yourself a cake that’s as moist as it is flavorful.

And can we talk about that frosting? This isn’t your regular cream cheese situation — it’s a caramel-cinnamon dream. The caramel gives it a buttery sweetness that perfectly balances the tang from the cream cheese, and the cinnamon ties it all back to those cozy fall flavors. It’s luscious, fluffy, and honestly, I could eat it straight from the bowl with a spoon. (No shame.)

Once the frosting’s on, I go in with a generous sprinkle of chopped Heath bars for a little toffee crunch. It adds the perfect texture and that hint of chocolate that makes every bite extra satisfying. And because I can’t resist a touch of fall flair, I top it all off with two little cinnamon sticks in the corner. Simple, but so pretty — like something straight out of a cozy bakery display case.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 7 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use avocado oil)
  • 1 ¾ cups packed light brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 3 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons allspice
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
  • ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

For the Caramel Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • ½ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3 ½ ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 5 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 ¾–2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt
  • ⅓ cup caramel sauce (homemade or store-bought)

Topping:

  • 1 bag chopped milk or dark chocolate Heath bars
  • Optional: 2 cinnamon sticks for garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
  2. Cream the butter, oil, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk and applesauce. Start and end with the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
  5. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting:

  1. In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and fluffy.
  2. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, and beat until creamy.
  3. Pour in the caramel sauce and beat again until it’s thick, silky, and completely irresistible.
  4. Spread the frosting generously over your cooled cake, then top with chopped Heath bars and those sweet little cinnamon sticks for decoration.

Make-Ahead & Storage

This Spiced Toffee Sheet Cake actually gets even better the next day! You can bake it a day in advance and store it tightly covered at room temperature, then frost before serving. Once frosted, keep it covered in the fridge for up to 4 days — just let it come to room temperature before serving so that frosting gets soft and creamy again.