249 better cake recipes

Mom's apple cake loaded with five fresh apples, crushed nuts, and cinnamon in a one-bowl oil batter. No eggs, no butter, and incredibly moist. Swap applesauce for oil for a lighter version.

Holiday cheddar date cake bakes a tube of brown sugar batter loaded with shredded sharp cheddar, dates, pecans, candied cherries, and golden raisins. A surprising savory-sweet fruitcake that keeps for 6 weeks.

Ultra-moist bundt cake loaded with fresh apples, cinnamon, and crunchy nuts. No mixer required for this simple oil-based batter that bakes up tender every time in angel food or small loaf pans.

From-scratch chocolate fudge layer cake with unsweetened chocolate in the batter and a thick frosting made from 1.5 pounds of melted milk and semi-sweet chocolate beaten with butter. A bakery-quality showpiece.

A rich sour cream chocolate cake with a cocoa fudge filling marbled through the batter, creating "craters" as it bakes. Topped with chopped nuts and a dusting of powdered sugar. One pan, zero fuss.

Singing cake, a heritage spice-and-chocolate Bundt loaded with raisins, nuts, strawberry jam, and unsweetened chocolate, in a buttermilk batter lifted by whipped egg whites. Named for the hissing sound it makes baking.

Southern fig cake with a pint of fresh or preserved figs blended into a buttermilk batter spiced with cinnamon and allspice. Moist crumb, sweet-tart fig flavor in every bite, finished with chopped nuts.

A self-saucing chocolate cake that creates its own gooey pudding layer as it bakes. Pour the cocoa-brown sugar topping right over the batter and let the oven work its magic. One pan, zero fuss.

Three-layer butternut cake with tangy cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts. Rich buttermilk batter laced with butternut flavoring bakes up tender and moist, then gets slathered in a thick, nutty frosting that'll have folks lining up for seconds.