249 better cake recipes

A fruit-packed bundt cake with bananas, crushed pineapple, applesauce, and chopped nuts spiced with cinnamon. Stir-together batter, no mixer needed. Moist, dense, and dusted with powdered sugar.

Rum raisin bundt cake made with ripe bananas, dark rum, walnuts, and allspice. A moist, no-fuss batter baked in a fluted tube pan and dusted with powdered sugar.

A chocolate cherry upside-down cake made without eggs or butter. Cherry pie filling bakes under a rich cocoa batter, then gets flipped for a stunning glossy cherry top.

Golden fruitcake with dried apricots, raisins, candied cherries, orange peel, citron, and shaved almonds in a light cake flour batter. Baked low and slow for 4 gorgeous holiday loaves.

Moist Jewish apple cake layers cinnamon-sugared Granny Smith slices into a tube-pan batter made with applesauce and orange juice for an oil-free, dairy-free dessert that stays tender for days.

Whole-wheat sourdough applesauce cake bakes up moist and tender in a tube pan, with cinnamon, allspice, and clove warming a tangy starter-and-applesauce batter. A bundt-shaped keeper for fall.

A moist, no-fuss banana pineapple tube cake with cinnamon and vanilla. No mixer required. Just blend the batter by hand, pour into a tube pan, and bake until golden.

A homestyle Christmas cake packed with dates, cherries, walnuts, and chocolate chips in a simple egg batter. Bakes into a dense, fruity loaf that wraps up beautifully for holiday gifting.

A three-layer Christmas cream cake with coconut and walnuts in a buttermilk batter, frosted with cream cheese icing studded with chopped maraschino cherries. Southern holiday baking at its prettiest.

Date pudding cake with chopped dates and nuts in a light egg batter with barely any flour. Dense, sticky, and caramel-sweet, served warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Double chocolate cream cheese cake with a coffee-spiked cocoa batter and a tangy cream cheese chocolate chip swirl baked right in. A one-pan dessert that disappears at potlucks.

Death by chocolate bundt cake combines cocoa powder and 12 ounces of chocolate chips into a sour cream batter for the ultimate chocolate-on-chocolate dessert. Dusted with powdered sugar.

Off-The-Wall Chocolate Cake starts with devil's food mix, then gets a cream cheese swirl loaded with chocolate chips and walnuts dropped right into the batter. Done in 1 hour.

Dense fruitcake layered with applesauce batter, citron, and nuts. Molasses and warm spices add depth. This slow-baked cake takes 2 hours at low heat for proper moisture and texture. A holiday classic.

Beatles cookies are soft, cake-like drop cookies made with sour cream, chocolate chips, and a cinnamon-sugar topping. The tangy batter and warm spice finish make these an addictive cookie jar staple.

Carrot cake with a chocolatey twist: cocoa powder, chocolate chips, warm spices, and shredded carrots all in one batter, topped with cream cheese frosting. Moist, spiced, and packed with surprises in every bite.