246 better cake recipes

Apple coffee cake with a sour cream batter layered with sliced apples and a cinnamon-brown sugar-nut streusel. A buttery brunch cake with a hidden ribbon of fruit inside.

Blueberry breakfast cake baked in a loaf pan with fresh or frozen berries folded into a simple batter. A tender, not-too-sweet coffee cake that slices beautifully for brunch.

Saucy chocolate cake that creates its own hot fudge sauce as it bakes. Cocoa batter topped with brown sugar and boiling water transforms into cake over a pool of warm chocolate pudding.

Nantucket donuts: classic New England cake donuts with cinnamon and nutmeg in the batter, fried golden and tumbled in a bag of cinnamon sugar. Old-fashioned donut shop nostalgia.

Spiced apple cake layered with cinnamon-nutmeg McIntosh apples and topped with a brown sugar walnut crumble. Baked in a 13x9 pan with orange juice in the batter.

Little plum cakes packed with currants and raisins, lemon zest, and nutmeg in a rich butter batter. A traditional English drop cake baked at high heat for golden, fruit-studded bites.

German marble kuchen swirls vanilla butter cake with chocolate syrup batter for a tender bundt with bold dark and light bands. A traditional German tea cake baked in a tube pan.

Grandma's chocolate layer cake: a classic two-layer butter cake with melted chocolate and a tender crumb. An old-fashioned scratch cake for birthdays and celebrations.

Hot fudge pudding cake that creates its own chocolate sauce as it bakes. A cocoa and honey batter topped with brown sugar and cocoa, then doused with hot water. Magic happens in the oven.

The classic Joy of Cooking devil's food cake with a cooked chocolate custard folded into the batter and whipped egg whites for lift. Finished with caramel icing. A vintage recipe worth mastering.

Fudge cakes with melted unsweetened chocolate, butter, and chopped nuts in a light batter lifted with stiffly beaten egg whites. Somewhere between a brownie and a cake, frosted and cut into bars.

Three-layer Southern coconut cake with a tangy crushed-pineapple filling and billowy seven-minute frosting. An almond-scented butter cake stacked with grated coconut between every layer.

Chocolate pan cake pours hot cocoa-butter liquid into a buttermilk batter, bakes in a 13x9 pan, and gets a warm cocoa glaze poured over while still hot. Southern Texas sheet cake classic.

Mocha pudding cake: a self-saucing chocolate coffee cake that bakes its own rich fudge sauce underneath the crackled top. Pour boiling water over the batter and let the oven do the magic.

Chocolate cream cheese gooey butter bars with a chocolate cake mix base, chopped pecans, and a sweet cream cheese topping. A St. Louis-style gooey butter cake in bar form.

Sugar-crusted pecans spiked with habanero chile powder, folded into chocolate cake batter for a sweet-heat surprise in every bite. Five ingredients, ten minutes, and your chocolate cake will never be boring again.