249 better cake recipes

Cranberry cake wreath bakes a tart-sweet cranberry and orange batter in a ring mold for a festive holiday centerpiece. Fresh cranberries pop against an orange-scented crumb, with walnuts for crunch.

Pumpkin spice pound cake bakes a Bundt full of cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg-spiced pumpkin batter over a layer of toasted pecans, then drinks in a dark rum butter glaze poured through poke holes on both sides.

Loaded carrot cake with coconut, crushed pineapple, raisins, and nuts in a cinnamon-nutmeg batter. A dense, moist cake topped with cream cheese frosting.

Flourless chocolate mousseline cake with rum, coffee, and whipped cream folded into a rich chocolate-egg batter. Baked in a water bath for a dense, silky texture.

German chocolate pig out cake with a gooey caramel, pecan, and chocolate chip layer sandwiched between two layers of German chocolate cake mix batter. A ridiculously rich bar-style dessert.

Louisiana banana cake with mashed bananas in a buttermilk batter, topped with sliced fresh bananas and a broiled coconut-brown sugar topping. A Southern sheet cake served warm.

Milky Way candy bar cake with six melted candy bars in the batter, buttermilk, and chopped nuts. A rich, fudgy Bundt cake with deep caramel-chocolate flavor.

Elegant pumpkin spice layer cake with whipped cream frosting and toasted pecans. Butter-based batter with buttermilk, ginger, and allspice. Bakery-style fall celebration cake.

Citrus devil's food cake made with grapefruit juice instead of water or milk, creating a tangy, bittersweet chocolate cake with a cocoa-grapefruit syrup folded through the batter.

Sour cream pumpkin coffee cake with a tender vanilla batter, spiced pumpkin filling layer, and a brown sugar-cinnamon streusel sandwiched and topped. Fall brunch favorite.

Terry's turtle cake layers chocolate cake with melted caramel, chocolate chips, and pecans, then tops with more batter for a gooey caramel center. A church potluck classic on a doctored cake mix base.

Old-fashioned apple cake loaded with sliced apples, walnuts, and cinnamon in a moist oil-based batter. No mixer needed for this rustic 9x13 sheet cake.

Myrtle's fruit cake bakes a brown-sugar-and-golden-syrup batter loaded with currants, sultanas, candied orange peel, and warming spices. British-style heritage Christmas loaf cake.

Jewish apple pecan cake layers cinnamon-spiced Granny Smith apples through a moist tube cake batter brightened with orange juice. Pareve, dairy-free, and a Rosh Hashanah favorite.

Jewelled fruitcake studded with candied cherries, pineapple, dried apricots, and pecans in a mincemeat batter with sweetened condensed milk. A festive holiday cake.

First-rate carrot cake folds shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, coconut, and walnuts into a moist buttermilk batter. Topped with orange-spiked cream cheese frosting for the ultimate spring dessert.