131 iced cake recipes

A big-batch brownie sheet cake made with cocoa, buttermilk, and a hint of cinnamon. The boiled cocoa mixture gives the crumb an intensely fudgy texture. Ice it while warm for a glossy, melt-in finish.

A light, springy chocolate sponge cake made with just six pantry staples and absolutely no eggs or dairy. Two layers sandwiched with fudge icing, dusted with grated chocolate and powdered sugar. Vegan baking at its most unfussy.

Classic New Orleans king cake: a brioche-like yeast ring scented with nutmeg and lemon, filled with citron, glazed with lemon icing and purple-green-gold sugar. Mardi Gras tradition baked at home.

Apple cinnamon cake loaded with 6 fresh apples and chopped almonds in an oil-based batter with a full tablespoon of cinnamon. Dense, moist, and best served warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Red and golden raspberries marinated in a honeyed raspberry puree. A simple, elegant fruit dessert or topping for ice cream and angel food cake.

Traditional Irish apple cake with a buttery shortbread-style crust layered around spiced applesauce. A rustic Sunday dessert served warm with whipped cream, ice cream, or lemon sauce.

Moravian Scotch cakes, a 4-ingredient Pennsylvania Dutch shortbread cookie with caraway seeds, topped with boiled icing and colored sugar. A crisp, buttery heritage recipe.

Apple nut cake spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, loaded with fresh apples and nuts in a one-bowl batter. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Peanut butter king cake cookies shaped in a ring with a hidden chocolate kiss surprise inside one ball. Frosted with purple, green, and gold icing for Mardi Gras.

Rich cocoa chocolate cake with buttermilk and boiling water, frosted with a fluffy marshmallow icing. Triple-sifted dry ingredients and a double boiler frosting make this a showstopper.

Frozen chocolate cheesecake torte with cream cheese, unsweetened chocolate, whipped cream, and pecans on a chocolate wafer crust. A no-bake frozen dessert that slices like ice cream cake.

Three-layer red velvet cake with buttermilk, cocoa, and vinegar topped with a cooked flour white icing. Old-fashioned Southern style with an ermine frosting that's not too sweet.

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.

Black bottom cupcakes drop a sweet cream cheese filling studded with chocolate chips into chocolate cake mix batter, baking into a self-frosting cupcake. Travel-friendly picnic dessert with no icing to melt.

Black chocolate Bundt cake with coffee, honey, and a crack of black pepper, draped in a semi-sweet ganache glaze with Grand Marnier. Deep, complex, and show-stopping.

This Punjabi dish, with some variation in spices, is eaten over all of northern India. Paneer is a fresh milk cheese with an interesting, slightly chewy consistency. It's easy to make, but requires planning ahead. You can substitute a diced 6- or 8-ounce cake of pressed tofu for it in this recipe.