28 simple cake recipes

Old-fashioned boiled fruitcake with raisins and warm spices. Simple one-bowl method where you boil fruit first then fold into spiced flour for incredibly moist cake.

Homemade funnel cake with a simple batter of flour, egg, and milk fried golden in swirling patterns and dusted with powdered sugar. County fair flavor at home.

Easy Bake Oven chocolate cake made from scratch with just six pantry ingredients. A simple homemade mix replacement so kids can bake without the store-bought packets.

Depression-era eggless, milkless, butterless cake with brown sugar, raisins, ginger, and cinnamon. A simple wartime recipe that bakes into a spiced, dense loaf with minimal pantry staples.

Rabbit cake is an old-fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch comfort bake: tender deboned rabbit layered with creamy potato filling and a simple stock gravy, then baked until golden and bubbling. Frugal, deeply savory.

Simple European fruit cake with pastry crust topped with sliced apples or stoned plums. Bake until golden, then dust with sugar for a rustic dessert that highlights seasonal fruit.

Old-fashioned spiced raisin drop cookies with brown sugar, buttermilk, and cake flour for a soft, cakey texture. A simple, homey cookie with warm mixed spices and plump soaked raisins.

Simple baked fish with fresh dill, lime juice and garlic. Light and flaky white fish fillets ready in 50 minutes with minimal ingredients.

Simple baked oatmeal with mashed banana and powdered milk. Just four ingredients, 25 minutes, and breakfast for two is served warm from the oven.

Fat-free pinto bean soup simmered with garlic, jalapeno, onion, and fresh cilantro. Six ingredients, one pot, 35 minutes. A hearty, budget-friendly soup with a kick that proves simple can be seriously satisfying.

Simple baked trout in white wine with herbs and garlic. Minimal prep, maximum flavor. Whole trout bakes in 30 minutes for an elegant, light dinner for four.

Rice, thick-sliced celery, and onion baked together in herbed vegetable broth until tender and fragrant with marjoram. Five ingredients, one dish, 40 minutes. A vegan side or light main that proves simple can be seriously satisfying.