45 better cake recipes

Strawberry upside-down cake with marshmallows, frozen berries, and strawberry gelatin baked into the batter. This easy sheet cake flips to reveal a jammy strawberry top.

Homemade steamed sponge cake, no oven needed: a light, eggy batter sweetened and colored with coconut treacle and warm cinnamon, then steamed soft and spongy. A moist Sri Lankan treacle cake for tea time.

Hot cakes recipe folds beaten egg whites into a sour-milk batter with melted lard for old-fashioned pancakes that puff tall and tender. Eight pantry ingredients.

Homemade lady fingers piped from a light egg white and cake flour batter with vanilla and orange flavoring. Delicate sponge cookies for tiramisu, trifle, or eating on their own.

Light bundt cake with layers of cinnamon apples swirled through applesauce batter. Orange juice and nutmeg brighten the crumb, while a cinnamon sugar crust bakes on top.

Cocoa bundt cake with chocolate glaze: a one-bowl buttermilk batter that turns out tall, tender, and deeply chocolatey thanks to a half cup of cocoa and a quick double-speed beat.

Soft, springy steamed cake made without an oven, a brown sugar and honey batter poured into cups and steamed into fluffy little sponges. A simple no-bake-style treat from Sri Lanka.

Homemade funnel cake just like the fair: a simple batter piped into hot oil in lacy swirls and fried until golden and crisp. Drizzle with chocolate or dust with sugar for a carnival treat at home.

Apple pudding cake with self-making sauce: a magic one-pan dessert where apples, batter, and boiling water bake together, separating into tender cake on top and silky pudding sauce underneath.

Silver and gold angel food cake: a marbled tube cake swirling pale angel food whites with golden orange-yolk batter for a striking sliced reveal. Light, airy, and ready for fresh strawberries.

Mimosa cake is a marbled angel food cake with lemon butter cream frosting. White meringue batter and golden egg yolk batter are spooned alternately into a tube pan for a two-toned, cloud-light sponge.

Cherry and almond Christmas cake: maraschino cherries, apricots, ginger, and almonds macerated in amaretto and brandy, baked into a lighter apple-puree batter, then soaked in more amaretto. A boozy, fruit-packed festive cake that keeps for a month.

Heritage-style yeast-risen buckwheat cakes made with an overnight batter and a touch of baking soda. A pioneer-era breakfast griddle cake with deep, earthy flavor.

Old-fashioned crumb coffee cake with a brown sugar and shortening crumble topping baked right on top of the batter. One bowl, seven ingredients, and your kitchen smells incredible.

Cape Cod blueberry cake folds fresh blueberries and bran flakes cereal into a lightly spiced one-bowl batter. A New England farmhouse cake with a tender, fiber-rich crumb served warm with whipped topping.

Chocolate angel food cake made with cocoa folded into billowy egg white batter, baked fat-free in a tube pan. A light, airy chocolate cake garnished with raspberries and nectarines.