There is very little that needs to be said about a chocolate mousse cake. This one lives up to its name. It is gloriously intense. But the whisked egg whites ensure that it has a balancing lightness. A...
Author: Nigella Lawson
This layer cake is affectionately referred to as "Grandma's Cake" by many Southerners. Using jelly as the filling and the frosting is a wonderful way to add fruity flavor to a cake year-round. The jelly...
Author: Vallery Lomas
Amanda Saab, a social worker and home cook who lives near Detroit, riffs on her Lebanese grandmother's recipe for namoura, a cake made from semolina flour, soaked in syrup while it's still warm. When she...
Author: Tejal Rao
This tender, golden cake, adapted from Lindsey Shere's "Chez Panisse Desserts," walks the line between dense and light, with a fine, moist crumb and deep marzipan flavor that comes from a combination of...
Author: Melissa Clark
This is a big, bold lemony cake that uses the zest, juice and flesh of lemons for an extrapuckery bite. A thin layer of crackly lemon glaze coats the whole cake for a beautiful and delicious finish. Serve...
Author: Yossy Arefi
Not your traditional gingerbread, this cake is flavored with familiar spices and enhanced with freshly grated ginger. (And yes, of course, there is still molasses.) Unlike a brittle cookie or dense loaf,...
Author: Alison Roman
Though quite straightforward, this recipe for Norwegian apple cake from Nevada Berg's cookbook "North Wild Kitchen" did raise a question. A whole tablespoon of cinnamon? Really? But it was not at all excessive,...
Author: Florence Fabricant
A version of this golden, tart-sweet confection was served at the 76th birthday of the legendary Southern chef, Edna Lewis. It is a true labor of love, so be sure to set aside a full afternoon to make...
Author: The New York Times
This simple one-bowl recipe highlights blueberries and poppy seeds in a fluffy vanilla- and almond-scented batter that comes together in a flash. It travels well, which makes it a perfect picnic dessert...
Author: Yossy Arefi
Strawberries from the farmers' market are tiny, packed with flavor, red all of the way through, and they put their supermarket counterparts to shame. This summery Bundt packs a double dose of strawberry...
Author: Yossy Arefi
This moist and fragrant cake from Molly Wizenberg, the author of the popular food blog Orangette, calls for a whole orange and lemon, almonds and olive oil. It does require a little effort and the use...
Author: Mark Bittman and Sam Sifton
With its soft, buttery crumb, this classic French cake is similar to a giant shortbread, though moister and more tender. Its hidden prune filling is traditional, although you can use other dried fruit,...
Author: Melissa Clark
This wheat-free chocolate cake with the earthy flavor of chestnuts is surprisingly light. The recipe is a slight adaptation from one in Alice Medrich's baking book "Flavor Flours." The cake may be baked...
Author: David Tanis
This moist and springy Persian almond cake is generously spiced with ground cardamom (two full teaspoons). We like it with fresh berries. If you want to serve it for Passover, be sure to use kosher for...
Author: Joan Nathan
This cake, at its best when warm, is full of dark molasses flavor and three kinds of ginger (fresh, ground and crystallized). It can be served with powdered sugar, whipped cream or even ice cream - a drizzle...
Author: Erin Jeanne McDowell
The South has about as many poundcake recipes as there are grandmothers. This one produces a higher, lighter cake than many recipes. It came from Dora Charles's aunt Laura Daniels, who got it from a nursing-home...
Author: Kim Severson
A lush combination of a Southern upside-down cake and a French tarte tatin, this cake is deeply caramelized on top and light and fluffy beneath. The chef Virginia Willis, who put the recipe together, uses...
Author: Julia Moskin
A roulade is a classic dessert made by rolling a thin cake around a flavorful filling, which creates an inviting swirl once sliced. This roulade starts with a subtly spiced, moist pumpkin cake that is...
Author: Samantha Seneviratne
Tres leches, which means "three milks" in Spanish, refers to the whole milk, condensed milk and evaporated milk that make up a creamy soaking sauce for the baked cake. Over time, it saturates the cake,...
Author: Samantha Seneviratne
The story goes that Pavlova, a dessert which both Australia and New Zealand lay claim to, is named after the prima ballerina Anna Pavlova, who performed in both countries in the 1920s. Ms. Pavlova's tutu,...
Author: Eric Kim
More coffeecake than dessert, this moist apple cake is pure comfort, with candied ginger, a touch of honey in the batter and a honey glaze. New crop autumn apples are wonderful to use in season, but you...
Author: David Tanis
Sprinkles always bring joy to a cake, but add Pop Rocks and you have a celebration, complete with a mini fireworks show. This recipe from the chef Sheldon Simeon and Garrett Snyder's 2021 book, "Cook Real...
Author: Sara Bonisteel
Layered with whipped cream, raspberry purée, saltines and fresh fruit, this easy icebox cake balances bright, fresh flavors with tangy cream cheese. The saltines add a nice saltiness, but you can substitute...
Author: Erin Jeanne McDowell
Like carrot cake, parsnip cake is lightly spiced, exceedingly moist and slathered with cream cheese frosting. This version, adapted from Susan Spungen's cookbook, "Open Kitchen," is less sweet than most....
Author: Melissa Clark
The exquisite combination of raspberries and cream is made even more so by the addition of this light, finely textured sponge cake. The cake should be chilled before serving to ensure it holds its shape....
Author: Claire Saffitz
This simple vanilla Bundt cake has plenty of freshly grated nutmeg to nod to the flavor of old-fashioned doughnuts. But since it's baked rather than fried, it also gets a generous coating of melted butter...
Author: Erin Jeanne McDowell
You get the best of both worlds with this tender and moist cake adapted from a version that was served at the 76th birthday of Edna Lewis, the legendary Southern chef. It is quite simple to put together...
Author: The New York Times
This is the birthday cake I've made for my son since he was about 11. After boxed cakes, ice-cream cakes, a cake in a Darth Vader mold (that year, the party's theme was "May the Fours Be With You), this...
Author: Dorie Greenspan
Rice flour makes this poundcake melt-in-your-mouth tender, and gives it a mild and delicate flavor that's spiced with a touch of black pepper. It keeps well, so feel free to bake it a day or two ahead...
Author: Melissa Clark
Ground pistachios give this loaf cake a lovely nutty flavor, green hue and tender crumb. It's adapted from the cookbook "Sweeter Off the Vine," by Yossy Arefi, which often incorporates Middle Eastern ingredients...
Author: Emily Weinstein
The nice thing about this cheesecake is that it doesn't require a water bath or any sort of special baking pan: More shallow than a traditional version, it gets baked right in a pie plate (or tart pan,...
Author: Alison Roman
This is the kind of dessert worth dreaming about: a buttery yellow cake topped with a chocolate-sour cream frosting, made doubly rich with cocoa powder and melted chocolate. The batter may seem thin when...
Author: Erin Jeanne McDowell
This prune apple cardamom cake by the chef Genevieve Gergis was inspired by sticky toffee pudding, a dish that her husband and business partner, the chef Ori Menashe, loves. It's on the menu at their restaurant...
Author: Joan Nathan
This orange cranberry cake is a gift to the holiday baker. It can be made ahead. It travels well. And it can be brought out any time of day - with coffee or tea in the morning or afternoon, or with Cognac...
Author: Joan Nathan
This rich and decadent spiced pumpkin cake is just the thing to serve for an autumn celebration, Thanksgiving or otherwise. Chocolate chips and chopped pecans are added to the pumpkin batter for extra...
Author: Florence Fabricant
In this country, ingestion of the pineapple upside-down cake has often been used as proof of citizenship - unless you had some as a child, you simply weren't an American. I've had plenty of bad ones --...
Author: Jonathan Reynolds
This small, rich, impressive cake is a bit of a magic trick. It looks like a standard buttercream-covered cake, but cut it open, and it reveals several fine pink vertical layers. The key is to make a thick,...
Author: Tejal Rao
From the outside, this looks like your standard, run-of-the mill poundcake. But slice into it, and you'll discover a ruby-red row of raspberries nestled into the sour cream-lemon cake. It's light yet moist,...
Author: Molly O'Neill
Icebox cake, so named because it sets in the fridge or freezer, comes together with a little mixing and stacking. All it needs after that is time to chill, making it ideal for hot days. This version combines...
Author: Laurie Ellen Pellicano
Joe Trivelli, the head chef of the River Café in London, has a recipe for an apple cake in his 2018 cookbook, "The Modern Italian Cook." It's simple to prepare but complex in flavor, because its batter...
Author: Charlotte Druckman
Layer cakes are always festive, particularly when they are four-layered, fluffy and cloudlike. This one, based on the flavors of an Indian dessert called ras malai, combines rose water, ricotta cheese...
Author: Melissa Clark
I discovered that candied fruit likes getting soused with currants or dates, and that it isn't fussy about the medium: sherry, rum or Cognac all make it happy. And the trick to baking with it is simple:...
Author: Kay Rentschler
Though there are many versions of king cake - the pastry eaten from Twelfth Night through Mardi Gras - many New Orleanians trace their best memories back to their local bakery. Such is the case for the...
Author: Kayla Stewart
Created as a first birthday treat for a little girl, these are a sweet example of something that is simple but memorable. The look is adorable: a cake sized for a baby's hand, covered in a soft white-chocolate...
Author: Dorie Greenspan
The classic Sicilian cassata is a spongecake layered with creamy sweetened ricotta, a heavenly combination. Though usually topped with colorful candied fruits, this summery version is covered with ripe...
Author: David Tanis
These moist, rich almond cakes are miniature versions of a classic flourless almond torte, embellished here with either chocolate ganache or cherry jam. The bittersweet chocolate filling is a bit more...
Author: Melissa Clark
This coconut cake was adapted from a recipe by Simone (Simca) Beck, best known as Julia Child's co-author on "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." She called it "Gâteau d'Hélène: a white cake filled...
Author: Dorie Greenspan
Making this cake, which is adapted from "Sweet," by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, is a labor of love, but that's only appropriate, for a cake adorned with rose petals. If you want to save time, however,...
Author: Yotam Ottolenghi
Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen, sisters who run the Four & Twenty Blackbirds bakery in Brooklyn, hail from South Dakota, where their family ran a small restaurant. Kuchen, a German cake topped with fruit...
Author: Sam Sifton
Here's a cake that comes together with the push of a button - butter, sugar, eggs and cocoa as well as dark chocolate, almonds and amaretti cookies are blended in a food processor. Although it looks like...
Author: Dorie Greenspan