Cake Recipes

This light, tender cake is infused with vanilla and studded with a whole pound of ripe strawberries. Don't have strawberries on hand? Feel free to experiment with other berries you love, such as blackberries or raspberries, or even with juicy stone fruit, like plums or nectarines. It's an easy cake to bake on a weekend morning and enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea, or as a delightful afternoon snack.

Apples and honey are a heavenly pairing and define this upside-down cake, which is the perfect fall dessert. Choose firm, tart apples like Winesap, Mutsu, or Granny Smith for this recipe. They'll balance the sweetness of the honey and hold their shape as they cook in the caramel underneath the cake batter. The key to getting the cake out of the pan cleanly is loosening the edges and letting it cool before inverting it onto a serving plate. 

Everyone needs a delicious coffee cake recipe in their repertoire, and this cinnamon streusel coffee cake recipe is the perfect option. Meaning "something strewn" in Old German, streusel is easy to throw together -- and then to throw on top of this sour-cream coffee cake. The sweet glaze in the recipe is the perfect coffee cake topping.

Once chilled, this cake can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to three days. In fact, it actually tastes best after being chilled overnight. Let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. Adapted from"Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook."

There is fall flavor in every bite of this seasonal bundt. An apple-cider glaze and caramelized apples in the batter set this spice cake apart.

This sticky-sweet cake is a St. Louis specialty -- every bakery in Missouri has its own version. Martha made this recipe on episode 703 of Martha Bakes.

This beauty is baked with a splash of Chambord and layered with a sweet raspberry filling, both of which offer bright counterpoints to the thick layer of chocolate-cream cheese frosting and whole berries scattered on top. You won't be able to have just one slice.

Use this cream cheese pound cake recipe anytime you want a deliciously dense, basic take on this classic dessert. The cream cheese adds richness and a subtle tang. We love that the recipe makes two cakes, so you can save one for another time; it can be frozen for up to three months. Remember that pound cake is best made the day before you use it, so it's a great make-ahead dessert. 

Martha Stewart's three-tiered carrot cake is a classic recipe you'll turn to again and again. It's moist, tender, and mildly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Speckled with shredded carrots (of course), it gets a welcomed crunch from chopped pecans—walnuts would make an equally great swap—and draped with a luscious-yet-simple cream cheese frosting.

Guaranteed to satisfy any chocolate craving, this is an excellent cake to keep in mind when you have a houseful of guests. The ganache glaze makes it dressy enough for dessert after a special dinner.

This sweet and simple sheet cake marries two great flavors that just plain belong together: rich and tender chocolate cake, and creamy peanut-butter frosting. For maximum fluff, go for a classic smooth variety of peanut butter, and plug in your mixer—manpower alone won't be enough. Scatter chopped peanuts along the edges for any crunchy fans in the house.

A dense yet not-heavy classic that can't be beat. For a silky-smooth batter, take care to bring the cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream to room temperature before blending. Using a water bath ensures the cake bakes evenly, so the center doesn’t crack.

This old-fashioned dessert, which originated at New York City's Delmonico's restaurant to commemorate the purchase of Alaska in 1867, has become popular again, and why not? An ice-cream cake covered with an igloo of meringue emerging from an oven is a real showstopper.

Use this rich frosting to decorate Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes. This recipe comes from "More from Magnolia: Recipes from the World-Famous Bakery and Allysa Torey's Home Kitchen."

Ask any pastry chef about frostings and they'll tell you that there's nothing like a good basic vanilla buttercream. This American-style vanilla buttercream from chef Billy Reece of Billy's Bakery in NYC requires just four ingredients and comes together in just about as many minutes. Smooth, fluffy, and creamy, it's ideal for all kinds of cakes, from cupcakes to multi-layered confections. 

If you don't own a candy thermometer, this cake offers a good excuse to buy one. It sounds a little nitpicky, but the caramel should reach exactly 238 degrees. (Any less and the cake layers won't hold together properly; any more and the caramel will turn hard.) Precision will also pay off with the chocolate frosting—it achieves its ideal spreading texture after standing for 30 minutes.

The incomparable flavor of pure maple syrup is reason enough to make this sweet treat; that it is also quick to prepare is an added bonus. Maple syrup is marked and graded by its color, ranging from light to dark -- the darker the color, the more intense the flavor. If you can find grade B, use it here for both the batter and the icing.

This moist, luscious dessert is named "tres leches" because after it's baked, the cake is soaked in three different types of milk; condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk. The milks saturate the cake, making it soft and extra sweet. It's one of the most popular cakes in Mexico and beloved in Nicaragua and other Central American countries. Our easy recipe adds whipped cream and fruit for serving, you can use any fruit that's in season, alone or in a combination. Whipped cream might might seem excessive when the cake is already so rich with dairy but it actually tempers the sweetness of the cake.

It looks spectacular but our blueberry-cheesecake icebox cake is a no-bake dessert that's easy to make. There's just a little bit of mixing and assembly required before you chill this make-ahead wonder—and you can make it as much as a week ahead. The secret to it's dramatic look is that the lemony cream-cheese mixture holds graham crackers vertically. Right before serving, crown it with fresh berries.

Cake, cream, and berries combine in a treat that's twice as delectable as the sum of its parts. The buttery cake soaks up the strawberry juices, while the whipped cream adds an airy richness.

Pumpkin's not just for pies. Mix up these cupcakes with canned pumpkin and lots of spice, then top them with tangy cream cheese frosting and the cutest mini marzipan pumpkins.

The combination of rich, buttery cake and caramelized pineapples in this classic dessert will transport guests to the good ol' days. It's traditionally made in a cast-iron skillet, but a 9- or 10-inch cake pan will also get the job done in a pinch.

This easy all-purpose yellow cake takes just a bit longer to make than one from a packaged mix, but it's worth it.

There's a lot to love about this versatile chocolate cake recipe. Sure, you can make a two-layer dessert for a special occasion, but you can also use the batter for other delicious treats. It will yield about 30 cupcakes—or you can bake it in a 9 x13 pan and frost it for a single layer cake that feeds a larger crowd. And don't be afraid to add in some extras—we're partial to a mix of chocolate chips, coconut, and walnuts.